Grand Dream
by Alpha Anomaly
Summary: 64 characters are gathered under the wing of 3 past champions of the Tournament to fight once more. Lies, deception, and lust for power overshadow all else in this bid for power and glory.
1. Writing Team Note

Writing Team Note:

This story is based on a popularity contest held on GameFAQs annually pitting 64 characters against each other in a tournament. Many fan fictions have arisen from this contest, making the tournament into a tournament of real battles.

It should be noted that this year, the contest is held somewhat differently, evicting its three previous winners, Cloud, Link, and Sephiroth, and holding the 64 character tournament without them, with the winner of that placed into a Final Four bracket with the aforementioned winners. Hence, this fan fiction, begun by Daredevil3181, is based heavily around these three characters and their ambitions, and the lies and deception that go on over the course of the tournament.

This contest will go on for the next two months, at least, ending in mid to late September. This fan fiction will obviously be based on the results of each battle, so expect this story to go on for about two to three months, as we will hopefully keep up with the contest results as they happen.

There are several writers that are working on this fan fiction, and they will be recognized as each chapter is posted.

The complete list of writers as follows

Daredevil3181

Alpha Anomaly

Riceball

Opiate109

sephsblade

IAStarDragon

Brett with Atreyu --Guest writer--

Zen of Thunder --Guest writer--

Furious J --Guest writer--

Alanna82 --Guest writer--

More guest writers may come along, if so, they'll be posted here, but the first six listed are pretty much the finalized core team.

One more thing of note, and of apology, is that many of the fics that are first posted on GameFAQs are carried over to this site strangely, such as the fact that this site does not accept asterisks, which we use as our page breaks, and numerous banned words on GameFAQs have to be asterisked out, so if there are many nonsensical jumps in pages, or words that simply read 'ed' where a swear word should be, we apologize and are working on making a smoother transition from this point forward as well as correcting all past mistakes.

Thanks for reading Grand Dream.


	2. The Bracket

**The Tournament Bracket**

I felt that it would be good for the users who are not familiar with the annual GameFAQs tournament to see a bracket, so as to better follow our fanfiction.

There are eight divisions with eight characters in each, adding up to a total of 64. There is also a Tournament of Champions bracket added on at the end.

**Mushroom Division**

(1) Mario vs. (8) Joanna Dark

(4) Ness vs. (5) Carl Johnson

(3) Zero vs. (6) Ryu Hayabusa

(2)Lloyd Irving vs. (7) Albert Wesker

**Zebes Division**

(1) Samus Aran vs. (8) Yuri

(4) Riku vs. (5) Frog

(3) Ganondorf vs. (6) Yuna

(2) Auron vs. (7) Big Boss

**Gear Division**

(1) Solid Snake vs. (8) Manny Calavera

(4) Vivi vs. (5) Zelda

(3) Kratos (God of War) vs. (6) Alucard

(2) Sora vs. (7) Agent 47

**Dream Division**

(1) Kirby vs. (8) Cecil

(4) Tidus vs (5) King of All Cosmos

(3) Bowser vs. (6) Chun Li

(2) Ryu vs. (7) Rikku

**Flood Division**

(1) Master Chief vs. (8) CATS

(4) Donkey Kong vs. (5) Sam Fisher

(3) Kefka vs. (6) Tommy Vercetti

(2) Crono vs. (7) Zidane Tribal

**Devil Division**

(1) Dante vs. (8) Terra

(4) Sarah Kerrigan vs. (5) Vincent Valentine

(3) Magus vs. (6) Knuckles the Echidna

(2) Squall Leonheart vs. (7) Geno

**Chaos Division**

(1) Sonic the Hedgehog vs. (8) Jin Kazama

(4) Kratos Aurion vs. (5) Diablo

(3) Tifa Lockheart vs. (6) Vyse

(2) Luigi vs. (7) KOS-MOS

**20XX Division **

(1) Mega Man vs. (8) Conker

(4) Gordon Freeman vs. (5) Leon Kennedy

(3) Yoshi vs. (6) Laharl

(2) Revolver Ocelot vs. (7) Pac-Man

**TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS**

Link vs. Cloud

Sephiroth vs. Main Bracket Champion

There you have it, folks. Also keep in mind that all of our battle results are directly based on the voting at GameFAQs. Don't complain to us if stupid or unlikely battle results occur.


	3. Teaser Introduction

**Teaser Introduction **

_by Daredevil3181_

In a desolate field somewhere at the nexus of worlds, morning was fast approaching. The sun was just beginning to stretch over the horizon. Shadows lifted up their arms as if to greet old friends. There was nothing happening out here, but there was definitely a tension in the air. A tension so thick it made the very air feel like it was composed of molasses.

Suddenly a green spark shot through the air, accompanied by a "sizzle" sound. Just as soon as it appeared, the electric intruder vanished. Five seconds passed before another spark and sizzle disturbed the field's tranquility, this time brighter and louder than the first. The air slowly began to fill with green flecks and a cacophony of different sounds as an emerald doorway began to materialize.

As the jade entranceway came into existence, a silver handle in the shape of a talon fitted itself onto the side of the door. Elegant and almost sinister in its appearance, the talon offered an escape to those who were willing to take it. It also carried a dire cost to those who lacked caution.

Ever so slowly, the handle began to turn, as some entity desired admission into this hallowed field. With a tumultuous heave, the door flew open, nearly snapping itself off its hinges, as a solitary figure bounded through the portal. Taking a breath of fresh air, the entity smiled and took a step forward only to land face-down in the early morning dew that still clung to the blades of grass.

"All your grass are belong to us!" the figure shouted as it got to its feet, sporting bits of green in its unique hairstyle and clothes. "Make your time…for great justice!"

The individual slowly took in his surroundings. It soon dawned on him that this wasn't Kansas anymore. As he traipsed around the field, he noticed a very peculiar flower growing up out of the ground. Something about it just seemed to rub him the wrong way.

With a snarl, the man picked up his booted heel and brought it down hard on the foliage. "You are on the way to destruction!" he smirked as his foot sought to crush the offending life form. Unfortunately for him this was a rare species of venus flytrap. And it wasn't happy about being messed with.

The plant promptly closed down on the cyborg's leg, eliciting a bloodcurdling scream of pain from him. He frantically hopped around, trying in vain to dislodge the vicious foliage from his leg. If he had been able to take a look around though, he would have seen a myriad of doorways appearing, each one markedly similar to the one he had come through himself. And from within each doorway came a unique life form, called to this field for some unknown purpose. Things were about to get very, very interesting.


	4. Introduction Part I

**Introduction Part I**

_By Daredevil3181_

Hustle and bustle didn't even begin to describe the scene that played out in this formerly desolate field. Where there once was nothing but emptiness and anticipation, there now stood over 60 unique characters, with even more popping in from time to time. Heroes, villains, psychos, robots, hot chicks, and even those who just plain didn't care, this gathering seemed to cover all the angles.

"It's-a good to be back-a, boys and girls!" a little mustachioed man shouted. He frantically hopped around, patting the heads of all the children he saw.

"Who the hell was that?" asked a very shocked Sora.

"Be damned if I know," replied Riku. "But you might want to wash your hair out. You could get rabies."

"I don't think you can get rabies from someone touching you…" began Sora, a little unsure of himself.

"Oh, what would you know? You fight with a damn KEY," shot back Riku.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm not cool," said the youth. "I wear black now. I'm full of angst. Chicks dig that."

"Whatever," said Riku, as he rolled his eyes at his old friend.

On the other side of the field, some encounters were going less than favorable.

"Ah, I see you have made it here in one piece, princess," teased a hulking figure.

"It is good to see you too, Ganondorf," said Zelda, making no effort to hide her obvious sarcasm.

"I trust you have brought your shard of the Triforce as well. I can't wait to claim it as my own," the man cackled as he brought his hands to rest on top of the regal woman's shoulders.

Zelda immediately shrugged him off. "I would not plan on anything that outlandish so soon. I still have a few powers you have yet to see. At my prime I am more than a match for you."

"But without that annoying do-gooder elf boy hanging around here, it's only a matter of time…" Ganondorf speculated. At that his hand began to glow with some untold power. In one swift motion he lunged toward the princess' throat.

Zelda immediately activated her diamond shield. She braced herself for the impact and began to think of a retaliatory strategy. But it turned out one was not needed as the warlock's brutish charge was blocked by someone else.

"Still being a complete ass, I see," said Link. "No matter. There's a hole right over there in the ground. I'm sure you two would be great friends. Want me to introduce you?"

"This is none of your concern, BOY," snarled Ganondorf. "And I thought you weren't even fighting this time around?"

"I'm not," answered Link, matter-of-factly. "But it doesn't mean that I can't make sure that the rest of you play fair. That's kind of what being a judge here is all about."

"Just make sure to watch your back," glared Ganondorf at Zelda. "I guarantee you'll get yours."

"And that's why I normally just associate with aliens," stated Samus, as she watched the little drama unfold. "Men can be total jerks."

"Why are you still talking to me, you stupid bitch!" asked an exasperated Conker. "I told you five minutes ago that I didn't give a shit what you had to say! Damn broads!"   
Despite the openness of the field, people were starting to feel more and more enclosed as things began to grow heated. There was a definite spark in the air and tempers were beginning to flare left and right. With a smile, the spiky blond-haired man looked over at his eternal adversary.

"Should we do this?" he asked.

"Like Buddhists," replied the long-haired white gentleman. At that he cleared his throat and began to bellow his introductions.

"Welcome, one and all, to the next great Interdimensional Battle Tournament!" boomed Sephiroth. Despite his lithe frame, he could really make his voice carry when he wanted to. Upon his words, a hush fell over the crowd.

"You might all be wondering why you're here," he continued. "And if you keep thinking these thoughts, you might as well save yourself the trouble and go home right now."

"This tournament…" Cloud said, as he picked up where his nemesis had left off. "…is to determine who among you is worthy enough to join our organization. Not only do we value brains, but you also need a considerable amount of brawn as well. Only then can we consider showing you some of our true secrets."

"We are most intrigued by this offer," replied a looming figure, easily 10 times taller than anyone else. "But what if we choose not to compete? Like that's possible."

"You can go home, then," chimed in Link, as he too took his place at the front. "No harm, no foul. But just remember, you'll be missing out on a great opportunity. Tournaments like these don't always come around every day."

"Is that so?" laughed a Japanese man with a headband pulled tight across his forehead. "Sheesh, my whole life is one big tournament it seems."

"Hush, Ryu," whispered the Chinese woman next to him. "At least we don't have to worry about Bison or Akuma running around here."

"So where exactly is 'here' anyways?" asked a gruff military man. "I've seen some weird places, but Shadow Moses and Big Shell don't even begin to compare to this one."

"Glad you asked," replied Sephiroth as he flashed a fake smile. "You're in a major interdimensional nexus. People from all over time and space can gather here without any far-reaching consequences. But don't think that you're the only ones that can come here. We will be entertaining a myriad of guests at any time. The stands will always be full and the audience can come from all over. You'll just never know who will pop up next. Besides, our marketing firm spent a ton of money on promoting this thing. We better see a damn return on our investment. Or else…"

"Whoa, settle down there, spaz," said Cloud, as he put a hand on top of Sephiroth's shoulder. "What ol' Sephy means to say here is that we threw a lot of money into this thing and as a result, a lot of people will be coming here to see the matches. We know you'll put on a good show. Just make sure not to disappoint is all. Besides, all the matches are perfectly safe as Link, Sephiroth, and I will be on hand at all times to act as judges. Losers will be treated by our medical staff and then be sent home as if nothing had happened."

"Sometimes in pieces," snickered Alucard.

"Whichever way is fine for me," chuckled Manny Calavera. "It'll just help me sell some more deluxe travel packages."

"And with that, let's all get to the main event," said Link. "Follow me." The Hylian turned around and motioned for the rest to follow him.

"So the contest is not in this barren field?" questioned the elegant paladin. "Oh, thank heavens!"

"You're new here, aren't you?" asked Tommy Vercetti, rhetorically. "Just stick with me and you'll do fine. I'm no stranger to these silly contests. I never win them, but I do make off with some extra cash, so it suits me just fine."

"Oh, thank you," said Cecil, gratitude evident in his voice. "I can fly to the moon without a problem, but sometimes just walking around I can get a little lost."

"Yeah, whatever," quipped Tommy. 'I wonder how much I can get for his sword and helmet?' the gangster wondered.

The procession of people didn't have to go too far before they finally came to a sprawling cityscape. There were buildings with corporate logos on them, a huge hotel, and off to the side, a giant arena. Heck, there were even tour buses filled with hundreds of screaming fans that drove by every so often.

"Well, I'll be damned," said Vincent. "Sure puts Midgar to shame, right?"

"Hmmm…?" asked Tifa, as her traveling companion's words snapped her out of her trance. "Oh yes, ummmm…what was it you wanted again?"

"Still fawning over him, aren't you?" smiled Vincent. "Just give it a rest, though. Cloud has moved on to bigger and better things now. He can't constantly be concerning himself with you."

"If you say so," the woman sighed. "But I just know he hasn't totally forgotten me in his quest to become stronger. You'll see."

"Want to make a bet on that?" offered the gunman.

"How's 1,000 gil sound?" Tifa proposed, not missing a beat.

"You're on," Vincent said as he shook the woman's hand. "This'll be the easiest money I ever make too."

"So know what?" wondered Leon S. Kennedy aloud. "Do we just fend for ourselves…or what?"

"Relax," Cloud said, as he rolled his eyes. "All accommodations have been taken care of by our good friend Donald Trump. We're staying at this swank hotel. All you need to worry about is your first round match-up. Leave everything else to us."

"OKthanxbye!" someone shouted as a blue blur rushed past the three and into the gorgeous living area.

"Slow down, you crazy hedgehog!" shouted another contender as a red form raced after him. "You're not insured for this!"

'Looks like someone needs to switch to Geico,' thought Joanna Dark.

"Everyone just make yourselves at home," Link said, as he gestured at the hotel. "We'll tell you more about the tournament format in the next few days. For now, just rest and relax."

With that the gathering began slowly moving into the Trump Tower hotel and checking in to their rooms.

The big three looked over the scene for some time before getting bored. Each headed in their own separate direction. While they were all supporting this contest together, only a fool would think that it was only for money. Other more important things took priority.

As soon as the white-haired figure saw that the other two were out of sight, he snuck into a nearby alley. There he was greeted by a cloaked figure.

"Do you think they suspect anything?" the cloaked one asked.

"Those idiots?" laughed Sephiroth. "No way. They'd still have a hard time grasping simple arithmetic if it wasn't for their fingers and toes."

"Splendid. All is going according to plan, then," the figure hissed. "Soon you will have the power you desire and I will have my amusement."

"Indeed," Sephiroth said, coolly. "Indeed."


	5. Introduction Part II

**Introduction Part II**

_By Daredevil3181_

The 64 contestants had all checked into their rooms and were spending their free time in different ways. Some were snoozing. Others were heading down to the hotel lobby and seeing the amenities Trump Towers had to offer. And a few of the more adventurous ones were exploring the city (which they later found out was named Grandis Somnium) to see what exactly this place had to offer.

The Blue Rogue was never one to sit around on his keister. When adventure beckoned, he was always right there in the middle of things. This city was very different from any area he had previously been to. As he stared into the sky, he did so with a little smirk on his face. 'I'm used to traveling up there, not down here on the ground all the time,' he thought.

Vyse was promptly knocked out of his reverie by a passing car. The vehicle missed smashing into him by mere inches. He scowled at the vehicle, only to be greeted by scathing laughter behind him.

'I'd know that laugh anywhere,' Vyse mused. 'Especially after hearing it quite a few times during my match last year.'

"You humans really are idiots," said Laharl.

"Back for more punishment?" Vyse asked in a light-hearted tone.

"Yeah, but this time I'll be the one sending my opponent home," Laharl explained, full of confidence. "You got the drop on me last year. This time it'll be quite different. I'm against an asinine dinosaur in the first round. You?"

"Some hot chick named Tifa," Vyse smiled. "Heck, maybe I can even convince her to join my crew afterwards if things go well."

"Ugh," shuddered Laharl. "Good thing you got her and not me. I hate girls like that!"

"What, you mean pretty ones?" Vyse wondered.

"Shut up, mortal," shot back Laharl. "You should know better than to mess with the Lord of the Netherworld! I could kill you by merely thinking about it!"

Neither the diminutive demon nor the energetic youth noticed the seething figure walking by them on the other side of the street. He knew he could lay waste to the two of them and a good deal of the city if he really wanted but it was better to let others guess about your true power rather than announcing it for all the world to see. 'Amateurs,' thought Diablo.

As the unlikely pair continued walking around the area, they began to discuss the tournament even more.

"And that's the gist of what Cloud said on the television," Vyse finished. "So even if you lose, at least you have the experience of making friends and having a good time. You get sent back to your home, no worse for the wear."

'So naïve,' Laharl thought. 'No way I'm going to blindly trust a bunch of mortals like this. But for the time being, I'll play along.'

"Yeah, it seems like they've thought of just about everything," he agreed. "But I don't have to worry about being sent home anytime soon. You, on the other hand…"

"Says he who got beat by an 'idiotic mortal pirate'," Vyse interrupted with a smirk, echoing the demon's words from the previous contest. "Just relax a little. So long as I'm around you have nothing to worry about. I fight for what I know is right and to help those around me. Nothing bad will happen."

'Sucker,' glared Laharl.

Little did the two know that another odd couple was observing them from the rooftops. There was an eerily cloaked figure standing next to some familiar blonde spikes. As they were chatting, the man was absentmindedly swinging around his huge sword, as if he was swatting some pesky flies.

"That was quite a nice speech you gave on the airwaves," the cloaked one hissed. "It seemed to have done the job quite nicely."

"That was the point," Cloud said, matter-of-factly. "Are you here to tell me some more things I should know or just to annoy me to no end?"

"Well, you do want to have the advantage in this power struggle, don't you? I suggest you begin to assess those that would be most advantageous to your cause and begin to convince them. You know he has already began to amass a strategy on his side."

"Already ahead of you," spoke Cloud, feigning even more annoyance. "I know he's going to cheat, so I'll one-up him. I'll play dirty before he can. Sephiroth won't know what hit him when I begin to grow stronger at an alarming rate and he's just standing there with a stupider look on his face than normal."

"What of the other one?" the cloaked one asked, prodding Cloud even more.

"You mean, Link?" Cloud chuckled. "What about him? He's all about keeping the 'balance'. He barely beat me last year before we both ascended into our positions. With just a little more power, I'll kick his ass too. No one could possibly stop me from my goals."

"Aren't you a little worried about your methods, though?" the figure wondered.

"Hell no," Cloud spat. "Sephiroth is going to cheat just as much as I will, so as far as I see it I'm just leveling the playing field. Besides, you have to crack a few eggs to make an omelette. And as much as I'd love to stay and chat, this conversation is over." With that Cloud strapped his sword against his back and jumped down to a lower rooftop in one smooth motion. He then began racing off into the distance.

"Slowly the pieces are lining into position," the figure laughed with a dry cackle.

------

Down in the hotel lobby a few groups were milling about. None stuck out quite as much as the trio in the back, though. Although all of them had been present in tournaments past, none felt entirely comfortable her, especially with all these humans around. Still, even amongst themselves there was a noticeable difference in personalities as well.

"And then I wanna see this match, because Ness has some awesome yo-yo tricks. Oh yeah, can't forget about Samus either," Mega Man chirped. "What about you, Zero?"

Zero looked at the smaller robot. He reminded him so much of a friend and sometimes rival he knew in the future. But as far as exuberance was concerned, this incarnation left the other one in the dust. 'So close, and yet, so far away,' he thought to himself.

"I don't really care about watching other matches to be 'nice'. As far as I'm concerned this contest is war. And I treat that very seriously. I'll probably only look at the ones that have any direct impact on me. Otherwise, I'll let the Tivo take care of them."

"You only have a 16.73 chance of winning here," KOS-MOS interjected. "It would not be smart to prepare too much."

"Oh can it, you scrap heap," Zero fumed. "At least we have interesting personalities in our programming. I didn't know it was even possible for another robot to bore me. Apparently, you've proved that possible."  
The beautiful android might have had something to say in retort but it never left her mouth as a strange bipedal crustacean creature barged its way into their little group.

"Ummm…can we help you?" asked the Blue Bomber.

"Oh no!" the red thing exclaimed. "I just thought you row-bits could use some energy!"

He then handed a bottle of some stuff to each of them. There was nothing really remarkable except for the bottle being a garish brown. On the side of each of them was printed the word "Duff" in big capital letters.

"Drink up!" he exclaimed. "Zoidy knows that you row-bits need alcohol to function properly."

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Zero. "I don't need any human food or drink to keep my power cells charged."

"I was programmed too young to drink," said Mega Man, with a puzzled look on his face.

"I detect at least 871 impurities in this drink, with at least 39 of them being highly toxic to both humans and…" began KOS-MOS before Zoidberg ripped the beers out of all three of their hands.

"Dr. Zoidberg was just trying to help protect his investment!" the lobster-like creature said. "But if you don't want them…fine!"

He then scuttled off somewhere while shouting "whoop whoop whoop whoop whoop" in an angry tone.

"I guess they'll let anyone into these tournaments nowadays," Zero scoffed.

"What did he mean by investment?" Mega Man wondered. "Dr. Light built me and I help him out by stopping Dr. Wily from time to time. No one else gave me any money…"

Zero put his arm around the little blue wonder as he began walking him away from the rest of the crowd. "You see, there's a little thing humans and other organic life forms like to do called gambling…"

-------

So, you want me to keep her occupied?" the hitman asked. "It's a little odd for someone to ask for my services requesting that my target stay alive. Sure you don't want me to just finish her off?"

"Do NOT kill her," answered the other man. "I just need to make sure she's out of the room. If you harm her in any lasting way, though, I swear that'll be the last thing you ever do."

"Kid, you might have won some matches here once, but you don't scare me whatsoever," Agent 47 said. "I've sinned and done so many horrible things that it would make you weak in the knees if you heard just one-tenth of it. It's all business to me, though. Don't worry, we have a contract. I won't break it unless you try to double cross me and then you better pray to whatever deity you worship for mercy, because you won't get any from me."

"Here's half," the man indicated, as he dropped some gems into Agent 47's hand. "You'll get the rest when this is all over." With that, the client was gone.

As for the hitman, he'd seen his fair share of shady dealings and other massacres going down. He knew this person had planned something big but he preferred not to concern himself with that. He'd received an assignment and had a contract to fulfill. From here on out it was all business.


	6. Introduction Part III

**Introduction Part III**

_By Daredevil3181_

Walking briskly up the stairs, the spy's breathing was slightly labored. In today's high-tech world, information was the key to gaining the advantage over your opponents. With it, one could plan ahead and come off as a genius, while those caught unaware would end up dumbfounded and inept. Or worse, face down in a forgotten ditch somewhere.

In the race to improve her odds in this tournament, the espionage veteran didn't notice the man entering the stairwell and almost trampled him.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" exclaimed Leon. "I've met elephants quieter than you."

"Yes, well sorry about that," Joanna Dark apologized. "I'm in a bit of hurry and the elevator's out of order."

"Why the rush, though?" the former STARS officer queried. "Oh wait, I get it. Women's bathroom overflow again?"

Joanna just shot him an annoyed look. "Actually I'm heading over to Freeman's room."

"Freeman?" Leon asked incredulously. "What can he do for you? That guy can barely help himself sometimes."

"He might give that appearance, but underneath that exterior lays a tremendous intellect, or so I've heard."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say," said Leon, rolling his eyes.

"You might be interested to know that," Joanna explained. "He is your opponent this upcoming round."

"I won't have any trouble," Leon assured her. "You just watch." He then walked past her and continued his way down toward the bottom floors.

'I have a feeling he's a bit too overconfident for his own good,' thought Joanna. 'But that's not my concern. I have to prepare for my own match.' She then turned and continued her ascent.

Upon reaching the 21st floor, the spy pushed open the door. Freeman was in room 2115. According to the signs posted, she needed to go toward the right. As Joanna got closer to his door, she could hear laughter coming from the room.

'What the…?' she wondered as she gave a strong knock on the door.

"Come in," she heard a male voice say. "The door's open."

A little shocked at the lack of security the man had, Ms. Dark pushed right on in. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight she saw next.

Sitting on his bed, a laptop flipped open with some sort of program running in the background, was the information guru himself, glasses and all. But standing next to him was a beautiful blonde woman, who was wearing some sort of mesh body suit. At her feet were pieces of some complicated armored suit.

"Excuse me…" began Joanna, but she was quickly interrupted.

"Rock, paper, scissors…shoot!" said the two in unison. Gordon's hand remained in the shape of a rock, while the woman formed her hand in the symbol of paper.

"Damn," Gordon chuckled. "Guess you take this one too. I can never seem to win."

"Am I interrupting anything?" asked Joanna.

"Not really," the woman replied. "We were just having a little fun. Taking the edge off before the fighting starts."

"Do I know you?" inquired Joanna.

"You've seen me before," smiled the woman. "But probably not like this." She then gestured at the armor on the ground.

"Master Chief? But I thought he was a man."

"He is," the blonde answered coldly. "I'm Samus Aran."

"Oh, my mistake," apologized Joanna. "Anyways, what are you doing here in Mr. Freeman's room?"

"Well, believe it or not, my room is just across the hall from here," Samus explained. "Gordon knocked on my door with a half-empty bottle of Johnny Walker Blue. Not wanting to drink alone, he asked for my company in finishing it off."

"A fan of the top shelf, I see," mused the spy.

"We started talking about our different experiences with people, aliens, and weapons," Gordon added. "We seem to have a bit in common, despite the fact that I fancy the crowbar and she is drawn to something called a 'Charge Shot'. But enough of that, what can I do for you?"

"I understand you're the one to come to for information," Joanna said slyly.

"That's right," Gordon sardonically smiled. "I'm a veteran of every single incarnation this tournament has had. I've observed everyone fight and written it all down."

"But you've never won a match," Joanna stated, doubt in her voice.

"I always get called away on other business," Gordon shrugged. "When the G-Man 'requests' my presence I really can't refuse. If I value my life that is. All of those matches were pretty much lost on purpose. If I really tried I could devise a strategy to take down pretty much anyone here."

"Yes, I'm sure," Joanna humored him. "About that information, though…"

"You seem to doubt me," Gordon poked. "I'm sure someone like you wouldn't care about what I have to say."

"Well, it's not that, it's just…"

"300 dollars," Gordon blurted.

"What?" Joanna practically yelled. "It can't be worth that much."

"Oh, but it is," Gordon smiled. "And so much more."

"I sincerely doubt it…how about 100?" Joanna haggled.

"250," the bespectacled man said, not missing a beat.

"175."

"200, lowest I'll go."

"Deal," Joanna begrudgingly admitted. She dug through her pack and pulled out the exact amount. Gordon grabbed it and thumbed through it, making sure it was all there. Satisfied, he stuffed it in his pocket and in one smooth motion took a disc out of the laptop and tossed it to her.

"Pleasure doing business with you," Gordon said. "And don't even think about copying that thing for others. I encrypted it so much that it would even take me weeks to crack it and I was the one who wrote the damn thing."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Joanna flashed her smile, as she thought, 'Sucker.'

'She's lying through her teeth,' Gordon realized. 'But let her try. I wasn't lying about that copy protection.'

"I'll show myself out," the espionage master said, as she walked out and closed the door behind her, leaving the unlikely pair alone once again. She then hurried back down to her own room where her computer station was waiting.

When she got there, she threw in the disc and began browsing through the files. She was astounded at the details and the analyses of the contestants the disc provided her. Everything was here, including snippets concerning some of the newcomers. She was just about finished looking up the plumber she would face, when a speck of dust fell on to her shoulder.

"Hello, Fisher," she said, with a sigh.

"This place could really use a good cleaning," stated Sam Fisher, as he slid out of the air duct with barely a sound. "So, it seems you made good on my tip and procured the disc. How much?"

"200."

"The little nerd drives a hard bargain," Sam observed. "Well, now to keep my end of the deal." He reached into his own pouches and pulled out a crisp 100 dollar bill. Joanna took it and handed him the disc.

"I'll have it back by tomorrow," Sam said matter-of-factly, as he left just as stealthily as he arrived.

'You better," Joanna thought. 'I know which room is yours.'

------

Master Chief had been through a lot these past few years. Between going to other worlds, coming back to Earth, and fighting as many of the Flood as he could get his hands on, he had a full plate and he couldn't help but to think back on the things he'd seen and done at times like this. Inspecting his armor and weapons, the marine was snapped out of his reverie by a knock on the door.

Mater Chief opened the door and the man in black calmly sauntered in.

"Hope your AI is as good as you say it is," said the guest.

"It'll get the job done," stated Master Chief. "Just let me see the disc."

"Here," the man said, as he flashed it in his hand. "But I need my payment first."

"Fine," Master Chief breathed under his helmet. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed 50 dollars. The two then swapped what they were holding, completing the transaction.

"I need that back by tonight," the man instructed Master Chief. "So be quick."

"Don't worry about me, Fisher. You just make sure you're back here by then."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," Sam said, as he slid out of the room and closed the door without a sound.

'Let's get to work, Cortana,' Master Chief thought, as he began to analyze the disc.

------

Standing on the roof of the hotel, the man formerly known as Naked Snake was taking a long drag on his cigarette. It was the last in his pack and he wanted to savor this one as much as he could. There weren't many times when he could just get away from it all and relax, but he did enjoy them whenever they came.

He was thinking of everything that had led him up to this point. His mission to find and stop the Shagohad, the sacrifice of his mentor, The Boss, the part he had played in the Les Enfantes Teribles program. These parts of his life were always in front of him and to deny them was to deny his very existence.

"Still enjoying that nasty habit, I see," a familiar voice called out behind him.

Big Boss would have recognized that arrogant tone anywhere. "Ocelot…"

"Don't act so happy to see me," Revolver Ocelot said, dripping with sarcasm.

"I still haven't forgiven you for all that you've done," Big Boss warned him. "I can never know whose side you're truly on."

"Yes, yes, but that's all in the past," Ocelot said. "For now we are in a temporary truce. Besides, I brought what we needed." He flashed something silver in the fading sun's light.

"One of his discs I assume," Big Boss breathed. "How much was it?"

"250," Ocelot replied. "I might have been able to work him down lower, but he had some muscle around him that was just looking for an excuse to fire at me."

"Shame," Big Boss said. "Well, should we have a look at it?"

"All in due time," Ocelot said. "But first, there's a favor I have to ask of you."

"I don't like carrying debts and I don't trust you."

"That's fine, but believe me when I say this is an opportunity that might benefit both of us. It seems the other silver-haired one needs us to get him something…"  
"And why should I care?" Big Boss cut him off.

"It belongs to the person you face," Ocelot said, matter-of-factly.

"I'm listening," Big Boss said, liking the direction this next assignment was going. If he could get any advantage over his opponent he'd take it. Playing between the lines wasn't anything he had problems doing, so long as it benefited him in the end.

"I thought you'd see things my way," Ocelot sneered.


	7. Introduction Part IV

**Intoduction Part IV**

By Alpha Anomaly

The smell of smoke and beer filled the packed bar area as Zelda coughed and choked her way out the door. 'Common bars are no place for the princess of Hyrule,' Zelda mused to herself as she finally managed her way through the throng of fans surrounding her. 'Besides, they shouldn't even allow these common middle-class citizens near us; I had to disguise my self to escape the men!' Zelda understood where they were coming from, though. It wasn't the fault of these people that this was the most exciting event many of them had seen in their whole lives, and probably would remain as that.

Four contestants had been enjoying solitude in the bar near the hotel, in the center of the grand metropolis constructed for the sole purpose of fighting, when they were immediately ambushed by at least a hundred people waiting just to say hello or to shake their hands. Lloyd Irving was the one who took in all the publicity with earnest as the young man enjoyed being known by everyone. The fact that every one of them seemed to automatically respect his ability as a fighter boosted his spirits as well as his ego even more. As long as it had nothing to do with learning, Lloyd would probably be fine with it, until he got bored a little way through.

Sure enough, about an hour of sitting at the table of four and constantly being bombarded with publicity, Lloyd turned to the stony Kratos Aurion and spoke in his ear, "Get me outta here, Kratos! I'm tired of this place, and especially these people! You absorb their attention for a while."

The maroon-haired swordsman brushed a spike of hair out of his eyes and calmly replied, "You got yourself into this mess of attention, Lloyd, and you must also rid yourself of it. I want nothing to do with it either, that's why I didn't get involved."

Lloyd was sick of answers from Kratos such as this, but he had also gotten used to them. He had been around the intimidating man for a very long time. "Dammit, Kratos, just help me out here!" Kratos adjusted his scabbard on his double belt, then stood up and calmly strode through the throng of people, ignoring Lloyd's plea completely.

Lloyd stared after him until the last of his blue outfit had disappeared through the door to his bar. The young man figured he would be here for a while, and he didn't even have Genis or Raine to help him out here. The only other people there with him were Zelda and Carl Johnson. 'Zelda seems nice enough, from what I can tell', he considered, 'but then she put on some funny outfit when the people started to flood in, made her look like some loser. I haven't really talked to her since then. Too many people. That Johnson guy isn't really the friendly type either. He just shot some guy for talking to him! I guess it's just me for a while longer.' Lloyd took a drink and snapped his overall straps, sat back, and anticipated the flood of fans. 

-----

Meanwhile, Zelda strolled down the desolate road back to the hotel. She had removed the Sheik façade at this point, and tiredly meandered around, getting herself lost. The two drinks that she had had in the bar had affected her apparently, and she was having trouble detecting where she was going. The wind was picking up, and Zelda hurried along as she wanted to get back quickly. She turned down a seemingly lifeless street, as she looked around, confused. She had no idea how to get back and she had left her companions in the bar. She didn't detect the silent movements behind her. She wandered down the road and soon she became aware that this was not the place that she needed to be. She was about to turn around and start back when a hand shot out and covered her mouth. Agent 47 smiled quietly behind her.

'All I have to do is keep this useless being busy for a little while, then I can collect.' 47 held her tightly until she instinctively thrashed around, her weak, thin hands gripping at 47's strong arm and flailing about wildly. She was trying desperately to gain a gasp of breath. 47 held tight until she started to go limp, then he let go. Zelda collapsed on the ground in front of him, drawing deep, wonderful breaths, as life flooded back into her oxygen starved body. Zelda turned around to face her assailant, and was shocked to see that it was in fact a contestant. In horror, she gasped, "Why…why are you attacking me?"

Agent 47 stood silently and deftly drew his pistol and pointed it straight at Zelda's head. 'I can't kill her, as much as I would like to. I never like to let my victims escape me with firm knowledge of me in their heads. I prefer them to be dead. Oh well, it can't be helped, and this job is paying well. With this place around me, it's no wonder. I'll just scare her a little bit longer, then I can collect.'

-----

High up above on the rooftops, a dark figure looked down on them, saw what he needed to, and sprinted away across the houses.

-----

Zelda desperately scrambled to her feet and tried to run past Agent 47 and back into the street so she could get some help. Obviously, Zelda wasn't thinking very clearly due to a combination of the drinks as well as the shock of the sudden attack upon her. She wasn't considering all of her options and sprinted straight into 47's waiting arms. He took hold and gripped her tightly before tossing her up into the air. She landed hard on her backside with a thud and then proceeded to scream.

47 cursed himself for not keeping her nearby and keeping her silent. 'Dammit, this could ruin everything! I really hope no one is nearby,' he thought to himself as he ran towards Zelda to quiet her down. Zelda reached up with her leg and kicked 47 straight in the shin with all of her might. The hitman stumbled backwards, hopping on his left leg momentarily, before getting fed up with Zelda. He once again pulled his pistol and aimed straight at her forehead.

The young woman used her disappearing trick to teleport right underneath Agent 47's nose and lifted off, giving the notorious hitman a powerful uppercut using her body's leverage. 47 felt his jaw rattle with the force of her attack, and his gun fired off instinctively, missing Zelda by a few feet. 

Zelda smiled as 47 crouched down, holding his jaw in pain. "That will teach you to mess with a woman, you bastard." 

47 looked up in disgust and anger. "I could have killed you in a moment, woman. Don't you dare voice doubt in my abilities, insolent fool."

Zelda realized that somehow her sarcastic attack on 47's abilities as a hitman seemed to jar him a little. 'He must be hiding a little bit of pride underneath that big bald head of his, hmm. I may be able to use that and get out of here in one piece.'

As she watched 47 nurse his chin she began to muse to herself, and Zelda wasn't even paying attention to the fact that Agent 47 had recovered and was beginning a bull charge at her, seemingly in anger. Zelda deftly bolted to one side of the street and by the time 47 stopped his charge, he already had his pistol out and was ready to fire at Zelda the first chance he got. When 47 whipped around, however, Zelda was nowhere to be found. He began to fire wildly around in the air, fully intent on striking down Zelda. He didn't care anymore about the tournament; he figured he would lose anyway. However, his instincts as a hitman began to take over. And hitmen always kill their prey.

Agent 47 began to look around for Zelda, checking for the nubile young woman, ducking behind the cars lining the dark street and waiting for the slightest sound so that he could wheel around and fire.

Zelda lay down ducked in the space behind the lone dumpster in the street. She was afraid to even breathe, paralyzed with fear that Agent 47 would find her. He had more resources than she could handle for the time being, as all of her Sheik equipment was back in the hotel room. She only had the suit with her, and that would do her no good against 47's high-powered weaponry. She simply had to lay low and wait for a miracle.

Agent 47 walked along the curb of the dark road, watching and listening. Suddenly, he heard a noise behind him. 'I've got her! She's dead meat,' 47 thought. In a shimmer of confidence, he turned and fired his pistol straight at the sound.

Agent 47's bullet made contact.

"Damn! Watch where you're shooting, you insensitive jerk! Man, I'm just here to rock and roll, and I got guys shooting me up in the middle of the road. I heard some screaming, thought I'd check it out, and I find some nut shooting at everything he hears. Now, now, didn't your mother teach you better?" The waggling, condescending finger in front of 47 belonged to none other than the half-demon Dante Sparda.

-----

The heavy door finally unlocked as the shadowy figure crept into the darkened hotel room. Quietly closing the door, the man crept around the room, looking for a sign of some kind.

Eventually, after five or ten minutes of creeping, he found exactly what he was looking for. Glimmering in one of Zelda's bottom drawers, the object flashed blue and lit the darkened room with its eerie glow. The man carefully knelt and reached his trembling hands into the awaiting wooden drawer and delicately picked up the object.

The robed figure returned everything to the way things were before and quietly crossed the path to the door and exited the room, his intentions fulfilled.

-----

Dante and Agent 47 struggled in the streets while Zelda sprinted away. 47 looked on in horror. The powerful demon was overcoming 47. The hitman desperately tried to reach his gun on the ground but he could not break the strong grapple they were engaged in. Finally, Dante managed to throw 47 to the ground and reach for Ebony and Ivory, his twin handguns. 47 reached for his pistol and aimed it at Dante just as he found the twin guns pointed between his eyes. Zelda ran past them just then and Agent 47 took the risk and took his aim away from Dante and instead aimed at Zelda.

Dante realized what was going on just in time and swiftly holstered his own handguns and just as quickly whipped out the Cerberus, an icy tri-nun chuck. Dante spun the Cerberus and knocked the pistol out of 47's hand as he fired, landing the gun with a clatter a safe distance away.

Dante leaned down and whispered to 47, "Get out, you slimy bastard." 47 got up and glared at Dante. He adjusted his crimson tie and strolled off down the street to collect his pay. He was glad that he got that much out of this irritating situation.

-----

"You did well, Agent 47. I'm glad I was able to count on your…services." The robed man now stood before 47, careful not to show his face.

"So, tell me, were you able to at least get done what you wanted to? That was a lot of trouble, and I now have two people who know I assaulted Zelda," 47 complained to the figure, as if he expected him to somehow do something.

"I am not concerned with the trivial matters of a hitman. Deal with them upfront. Your pay." The man handed Agent 47 a thick wad of bills and a few more gems.

The currency system in Cloud, Link, and Sephiroth's world worked so that gambling, jobs, and such could still go on, and yet at the end of the contest when everyone went home, the currency was exchanged back to their home's way of dealing with money. Agent 47 had no clue how much this money was worth in American dollars, but he figured it had better be a lot for what he just went through. 'I'm going to have some trouble in this contest if I can't even stave off a demon and some girl for more than fifteen minutes. Damn.'

47 began to turn around, but turned back to ask a last question. "What was it that you took from her, mystery man?"

The figure callously replied, "That is none of your concern."


	8. Introduction Part V

**Introduction Part V**

_by Daredevil 3181_

While some contestants had settled into complacency over these past few weeks, others felt comfortable in a more active setting. The tournament sponsors realized this would be the case long before anyone was even summoned to this dimension, so in addition to the other amenities Grandis Somnium offered, there was a fully-functional state-of-the-art virtual reality training facility located not far from the stadium. It was here that the contestants could work on whatever skills they needed to develop, as each program was specifically set to match each combatant, without any danger of hurting innocent bystanders or causing massive amounts of property damage.

"Computer, run sequence 35C-64," said a voice with almost no emotion behind it.

"I require proper authorization before proceeding with that request. That is a level A combat training pro…" the computer responded to the voice command.

"Password: Leon," the man interrupted the electronic voice.

"Safety protocols have been adjusted. Say 'terminate' when you wish to stop."

The sleek metal walls were suddenly replaced with the stony facade of a complex of some sort. Milling about were guards intently patrolling the area for any intruders. Each of them carried a machine gun that seemed to pulse with some fierce energy.

'Time to test my skills,' thought the contestant.

He jumped out from behind a wall and was immediately greeted by a hail of gunfire. The man instinctively tucked himself into a roll. Most of the shots were way off the mark and careened harmlessly off the wall behind him, however a few did ruffle the fur at the top of his black leather jacket.

Quickly discerning which gunmen were the biggest threats, he brought his hand out in front of him and charged it up with some energy. His extremity gave off a fiery red light as little flames jettisoned out of his fingertips and slammed into the closest adversaries. They crumpled to the ground like wrinkled paper.

The remaining guards behind them again pressed their attack, now with renewed vigor. Once again diving for cover, the mercenary looked through a few wayward strands of his dark brown hair to see that around ten of the patrol units remained. 'Still too many for a full frontal charge,' he thought, 'but…there are other ways to thin out the numbers.'

Once again he allowed the connection between himself and one of his guardian forces to come to the forefront. He secured his unique sword underneath one of his arms and then placed both hands on the ground. The floor seemed to tremble as if something was tickling it. The rumbling became more and more noticeable until suddenly pieces of the ground began to literally tear away from each other.

Shots were fired wildly into the air as the guards had no idea what hit them. With each tumultuous heave another person seemed to go down. When it was all over, only four guards were left standing. The man saw this and smiled to himself, quite satisfied with his work.

'Now it's time to finish these guys off quick,' he told himself.

He jumped out from behind the barrels he had used as cover, surprising the men even further. Not even missing a beat he spun around and let his blade taste the flesh of its first victim in a long while. It felt good to let out his rage like this sometimes.

Startled at seeing his comrade get cut down so suddenly, one guard brought his machine gun right in line with the back of the attacker's head. The move was futile, though, as the mercenary quickly moved into a crouch. Pivoting on his left foot, he moved toward the man in a counter-clockwise direction. His right shin soon connected with the feet of the hapless guard, knocking them out from under him and causing him to fall to the ground with a resounding thud, his gun flying out of his hands.

A bullet suddenly grazed off the contestant's shoulder. It hadn't gone deep, but it did sting a little and a fair amount of blood was spilling out. He examined the wound nonchalantly and then quickly locked eyes with the one who had fired at him.

'Must have grazed a superficial blood vessel,' he thought. 'It's nothing too major, but I don't feel like staining these clothes any further.'

His attacker suddenly felt as if a bit of his life force was being leeched out. Green sparks flew out of his chest and into the man with the gunblade. He watched in amazement as the wound instantly closed up and the man advanced on him, no worse for the wear.

Squall kicked the gun away and then plunged his blade through the man's spleen. He kicked him off it, as he knew this one would not be getting up any time soon. There was a whoosh of air overhead and as Squall moved his head to the side, he barely evaded a wild sword thrust. It seemed to be that this last one favored swords over bullets.

'Works just as fine for me,' Squall thought.

He brought his own blade around in a wide arc, causing the guard to back up. He then kicked out and connected with the man's funny bone. His hand numb and useless, one of the guard's swords clattered harmlessly to the ground. Just because he was one blade short didn't mean he was totally defenseless Squall soon learned, as the man was still able to block each slash and stab with relative ease.

The two danced their wild ballet like that for a good thirty seconds before the mercenary saw an opening. Taking full advantage of it, he brought his gunblade around for the finish. Instead of delicate flesh, his sword met hard steel.

'Damn, he feigned that opening!' Squall berated himself. 'I have to be more careful!'

The two were locked in a battle of brawn, as each blade threatened to crack under the pressure. They rocked back and forth, neither one willing to give the other any ground. Finally, as Squall positioned his gunblade right where he wanted it he saw a flash of silver. The guard had unleashed a hidden blade and it was coming right at Squall's jugular.

"Oh no you don't," Squall hissed as he pulled the trigger on his weapon. Fire immediately raced up the length of his weapon's blade and into the man's face. Dropping his weapons, the guard's hands immediately went to his eyes as he howled out in pain. He then felt a fist knock into the side of his head as he slipped into the black sleep of unconsciousness.

"Computer, terminate please," Squall boomed.

"Program is 88 complete. Are you sure you want to exit?" the electronic equipment asked.

"Yes," the man confirmed.

"Action processed and accepted," the computer said as the scene faded into the bland steel room once again.

Squall looked up to see cheering faces waving at him from behind the glass plate of the observation deck. There were mostly girls screaming at the top of their lungs. Although he had learned to open up over the past few years and share his feelings with others, he was still a work in progress.

'I'm just happy that glass is there to protect me from them,' Squall mused as he waved to his fans with a little smile on his lips. He then turned around and pushed the button to open the door from his little cell into the main room. It was here that he was greeted by a familiar figure leaning against the wall.

"Pretty fancy moves in there," the spiky red-haired swordsman said, his mouth upturned in a sly grin.

"I get by," Squall said, his own grin matching his visitor's equally. "How've you been Crono?"

"I really can't complain," Crono shrugged. "In a sense I'm almost happy to be back here in competition again. Gives me a break from all the other crazy stuff that goes on in my home world."

"I know the feeling," empathized Squall. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Thankfully, very little at this time. To be honest I just came here to see some of the contestants' fighting styles firsthand."

Squall nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's one thing to read about them on Gordon's disc. It's quite another thing to actually see some of them in practice."

"Let's take a walk," Crono offered Squall. "We can peek into a few rooms then."

"Sounds good to me."

-----

Red. That was the only way to describe this room. It showed no hint of anything else besides the sticky sight of copious amounts of blood and a solitary figure absolutely fuming with battle lust.

Another figure seemed to pop out of the floor as the computer program was struggling to keep up with its user's actions. Chain blades flew out immediately as the man was ripped to shreds in an instant. As another adversary appeared, the man picked up both halves of the person he had just slain and beat the new threat with them until he too was a bloody heap.

"I've fought gods before!" cried out the hulking figure. "Do you think you could possible prove a challenge to me!"

"Who's that nutjob?" asked Squall.

"Name's Kratos," Crono replied.

"But aren't there two…" Squall started.

"He's the one that won't be seen talking with that idiot swordsman," Crono explained. "I feel sorry for whoever he faces first."

"Yeah, but if his opponent wins it's probably all due to some kind of grand plan," Squall agreed. "Either that or he'd have to have one foot in the grave already."

As the two watched the man rip apart a monster with his bare hands they walked on to the next area.

-----

The next room they came to featured a relatively non-intimidating young man. He had dark hair and was wearing a black suit with buckles here and there. There were demon-like creatures spawning in his room at a fairly constant rate.

"Had enough yet?" the man asked.

He then transformed in front of the duo's eyes into some kind of feline creature with claws and stripes along its back. He proceeded to slash at the advancing horde with apparent ease. The room was flecked with blood, but nowhere near as bad as Kratos'.

"I can keep this up all day," he laughed as shifted back into his human form.

"Let me guess, Yuri Hyuga," Squall stated.

"Yeah, another newcomer," Crono confirmed. "He has some shape-shifting powers and can be a little rude at times. I'm not sure the full extent of his strength, but I'd bet he has a few surprises in store."

"Still, my money's on Samus," Squall said. "That suit of hers packs quite a punch."

"Not to mention that she's a total knockout," Chrono said smugly.

"Well, yeah, there's that too," Squall conceded. "Moving on…"

-----

The next room was certainly a sight to behold. Its occupant looked as if he was swimming about in some type of gelatin-like water instead of fighting anyone in particular. Every now and then he would throw a ball of some type to another person and then propel himself around the watery globe.

"Tidus still up to his old tricks?" chuckled Squall.

"Apparently," Crono responded.

"He tried to teach me that game once, but I wasn't a fan," Squall said. "Blitz-something-or-other he called it."

"Blitzball," Crono corrected him. "And it's not an entire waste of time. His reflexes are extremely quick because of it. Besides he doesn't carry that sword around with him for nothing."

"Yeah, he did knock Shadow out of the picture last year. So he's not totally inept," Squall huffed.

The blond-haired sports star spotted the two through his window and waved to them. He then caught the ball from one of his teammates and swam off. Squall and Crono just shook their heads and moved on.

------

The next room was set up like an extreme dojo of some sorts. There were no massive conflicts, but instead it seemed to be a spar of some sort that was taking place. The man with spiky black hair was fighting an old man with equally unkempt white hair. As each of their punches and kicks connected, sparks of power flew off.

"A rather odd training exercise," Squall observed.

"Not as strange as Blitzball," Crono pointed out. "But it seems as if this just a good old fashioned duel. Nothing real fancy past that."

"You haven't bested me yet, old man," the raven-haired youth said as he caught his adversary's explosive kick.

"He's definitely a fighter and has spirit," Squall stated. "But the fighter mentality never seems to go very far in these things."

"From what I understand this Jin Kazama has a dark side to him, though, not unlike our friend Ryu," Crono explained. "If it's anywhere near as powerful then he might end up having an outside shot."

"Or be flattened," Squall quipped, as Jin took a hard punch to the face that sent him reeling.

------

The two had gained quite a bit of knowledge about the various combatants and all-in-all this was a fairly productive day. It wasn't over yet, though. As they were slowing down, Squall couldn't help but notice as Crono nervously began glancing at his watch every so often.

"Have a big date or something?" Squall asked, somewhat incredulously. He knew how tongue-tied Crono got around some of the prettier ladies.

"Well, not exactly, it's just that…"

"Please move aside," a voice cordially requested.

Crono and Squall looked around to find its source.

"Ahem, down here," the voice said. The two turned their gaze a little lower to find what could only be described as a medium-sized living doll wearing a sky blue cloak.

"I have things to take care of and a few reports to go over," the doll continued. "So if you wouldn't mind, please let me by."

"Whatever," Squall said as he moved aside.

The little man just fumed, "Crazy mortals. The star road doesn't just check up on and repair itself, you know," under his breath. He then hurried off.

Squall was about to say something when Crono beat him to the punch. "Geno." The SeeD just stood there for a second and then nodded his head.

"So what was it you were waiting for...?" Squall asked when a voice soon answered his question.

"Oh, Sir Crono, there you are!" said a figure in enthusiastic greeting. "So sorry I am late!"

"It's alright, Frog," Crono said. "No need to apologize."

"Thou art truly kind to help me work on my technique."

"Don't mention it," Crono said. "Anyways…Squall, here is where I take my leave. But I'll see you around."

"Yeah, you take care, Crono," said Squall. "And you too, Frog."

"Fare thee well, Sir Squall," Frog said as the mercenary walked away. He then headed into a vacant virtual reality chamber to shake some of the rust off his skills. He wasn't alone, though, as Crono joined in and started up the specially-designed program.

'This is going to be a very, very interesting tournament,' thought Squall as he headed back to the hotel for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.


	9. Introduction Part VI

**Intoduction Part VI**

_By sephsblade_

_  
_The metropolis was pretty damn big, Zero had to give it that. Not as big as the city that surrounded Maverick Hunter HQ, the city once known as Tokyo, or anywhere near as magnificent as Neo Arcadia, but it still was pretty impressive for despite the abysmal technology it used.

He sat drinking in the café. His armour was off, the ability to remove body armour had been a standard feature in all humanoid reploids since X, as Dr. Light had obviously wanted X to lead a normal life, not merely to live as a warrior. Of course, X had had anything BUT a normal life…

He didn't need the drink, he had twinned Micro-fusion Fuel Tanks, but it still gave him pleasure to sip the coffee.

Sighing, Zero paid and walked out into the streets of the City. The sun was shining, the air was pretty clean, though of course he didn't need to breathe, and he had an entire city to explore. Yet he was bored. A feeling he hadn't felt since before Sigma attacked…

Strolling down, he frowned as he saw a shimmer pass him by. Nothing on visual sensors, which meant...

"Cloaked. Must be cloaked."

This wasn't any of his business, but whoever was walking around invisible probably wasn't up to any good. Nonchalantly, Zero turned around whistling, changing the wavelength input of his eyes until…

There! It seemed to be a humanoid female, though unlike any he'd ever seen before. The skin seemed more like scales with green natural-looking body armour that was likely more for decency then anything else. Out of her back, things protruded not unlike the mandibles of an insect. Whatever she was, she definitely wasn't human.

Pretending he hadn't noticed, Zero started following her. It wasn't like he had much better to do. There was still plenty of more time to explore.

He followed her along the back alleys (why did this city NEED back alleys, anyway?). Getting bored, Zero was jut about to give up and just go and find something interesting to do when he noticed that he wasn't alone.

Whipping around, he saw another contestant. This one was male, with dark grey skin and pointed, elf-like ears. Blood red cape rustling slightly in the breeze, the blue haired man was laughing quietly to himself.

"Took you long enough to notice, robot."

Leaning against the wall, the man idly stared onwards at the person Zero had been following.

"You know her, then? Otherwise, I'm wondering what a good, honest killing machine like you is doing following her."

So. The man knew who he was. Obviously he'd seen the contestant list.

"…I'm bored. What's your excuse?"

Rolling his eyes, the elf-like, muscular man walked up to Zero, bowing mockingly.

"I just wanted to see what my fellow warriors were like. My name is Janus Zeal, prince of a kingdom destroyed by a woman who used to be my mother, master of black magic and pretty good at most other kinds, and the Prophet of the Black Wind. You, however, can call me Magus."  
Zero tried to gauge him…there was something hidden about him, an aura of power both physical and mental. This 'Magus' could definitely fight and do it with style.

"So, you're trying to find out why someone is walking down the streets cloaked, eh? Well, her 'Alien hybrid' look would probably bring unwanted attention, I would guess, and she probably had things to do without being noticed, hence the feeble invisibility, which I'm sure works with the sheep walking out there. I myself need to ask her a few questions…"

He felt rather than heard the presence near, so when Magus nodded his head at the suddenly uncloaked alien woman from before Zero wasn't surprised.

"Two little boys, trying to sneak up on the Queen of the Swarm. I have to admit, it's very amusing."

Zero's hand twitched. He may have left his sabre in the accommodations he was given, but if she decided to attack, a quick blast of plasma to the face would probably persuade her otherwise. However, any noticeable brawls in the street would get them thrown out of the contest. Probably something she didn't want to risk.

"Don't flatter yourself. Tryin' to see what you were doing was just slightly more interesting then looking around and watching paint dry."

Sarah Kerrigan laughed, the harmonics of her altered voice vaguely disturbing. Kerrigan seemed to dismiss Zero as a threat, turning around to look at 'Magus' Zeal.

"What about YOU, mortal? Why are you daring to distract Queen Kerrigan?"

Magus stepped forward, as amused as Kerrigan apparently was.

"You're the telepath," he spoke softly. "You tell me."

The expression on her face turned to a mixture of contempt and anger. Gritting her teeth she glared lances at the former prince.

"I can't. You've closed off your mind to prying eyes, as I'm SURE you're aware, Sorcerer," her voice dripping with contempt.

Sighing in mock exasperation, Magus idly started to summon a ball of black energy into his hand.

"Not all of it."

Kerrigan frowned. She opened her mouth, no doubt to utter a sarcastic reply, when Zero noted that her eyes had widened. Shock, anger, contemplation and finally amusement passed across her face.

"….Interesting point of view."

Magus and The Swarm looked at each for a while. It seemed they both were having a mental conversation, one in which a robot like Zero could not take part in.

"…I'd like to talk to you again sorcerer. That information... interests me."

With those words, the Queen of the Zerg once again disappeared from normal view.

Magus likewise nodded at Zero, smile gone from his face, as he walked out of the alley and disappeared into the busy streets.

Shaking his head, Zero looked up at the buildings towering over. So far, he'd spent half a day looking at stupid landmarks, drinking a cup of coffee, following an invisible woman, and then watching from the sidelines as two people had a telepathic conversation, from which he was wholly excluded.

"Damn it, I'm STILL bored."

He could always go for a quick run…

**DASH THRUSTERS ACTIVATED.**

Leaping up the walls of a nearby building, Zero would never be mistaken for a human. But frankly, he didn't give a damn.


	10. Introduction Part VII

**Intoduction Part VII**

_By Opiate109_

The sun was slowly descending towards the horizon, as shadows from the city buildings grew longer. Many contestants were settling into their rooms, sleeping, or merely getting off the streets before dark. Some stayed in bars and others still trained. One, however, was waiting on his two unreliable companions.

'She's such a bad influence...' the dark figure thought to himself. His red cape hung loosely over his shoulders. His right hand held the hilt of his sword, Masamune, and his left hung loosely by his side. His eyes were barely visible to others behind his sunglasses, as he stared intently at the main street that his companions would be walking down. His mind finally stopped worrying and his heart began beating for what seemed like the first time in hours as he spotted the two of them.

"Auron!" shouted the blonde-haired girl, as she ran towards him. She gave him a quick hug. "How are you?"

Auron realized that his trip could have been quiet had he not organized a meeting with these two. "I'm fine, Rikku," he said abruptly, as his gaze turned to the other female.

"Hi, Auron," Yuna said, showing less enthusiasm than her friend. She seemed oddly quiet, but Auron didn't say anything.

"Hello, ready to go? The alleys are a little dangerous, rumors of muggers are going around town," he said, but was cut off by a shout. The shout, which seemed to come from around the corner of the alleyway, shocked the three. Auron drew his Masamune and walked forward slowly. He motioned for the other two to follow him. They walked cautiously, until they were shocked by what sounded like whimpering.

"Please...Please don't hurt me. I'm sorry," a man around the corner said, between sobs.

"Why shouldn't I hurt you, when you clearly had those intentions for me?" The cold voice that answered back sent shivers through Yuna's spine. She had heard that voice earlier. It was a haunted voice but it seemed much angrier this time. The only sound that answered the grim voice was more whimpering. The three took a look around the corner to find a slightly humorous sight.

Vincent Valentine was standing over a distraught man, who looked to be in his thirties. The man had clearly been flung to the ground. Vincent stood over him with his shotgun in one hand, aimed at the man's head.

"Get up and just leave," Vincent spoke harshly. His eyes did not look at the man. They looked at the ground. 'I've hurt enough people and I'll hurt more each time I have a match...'

Vincent shook himself out of his thoughts to find that the mugger had run off. He did notice, however, the group of three staring at him in confusion. He quickly turned to face the street.

"If you're looking for Tidus, he went to the bar," said Vincent, leaving the three in shock. Auron opened his mouth to speak but Vincent had already begun to walk away.

"Let's go to the bar, then," Rikku said, in a slightly confused, slightly excited voice. The other two looked at her, and began to walk towards the bar. "Hey, wait up!"

-----

The mood inside the bar was fairly somber. Most of the contestants still in the old building were quiet. Instead, the noise came from the locals. Tidus sat at a table with 8 chairs, 5 of them empty. To his left was a friend he had met in the past year, Squall Leonhart. Directly across the table was Dante Sparda, whom Tidus had recently met. Dante held his two handguns, Ebony and Ivory, in his hands, as he eyed some of the city dwellers.

"What's that look for?" Tidus asked, in a voice that grinded at Dante's ears.

"Don't worry about it," Dante said, in a tone that was harsher than his words indicated.

"Dante just doesn't like people..." Squall said.

"Well, neither do you," laughed Tidus. His two friends nearly flinched when he spoke. They still had not grown accustomed to his voice.

"...Whatever" Squall replied.

Tidus turned to the door in excitement when Squall's response got a giggle from someone who had just entered the bar. Rikku, Yuna, and Auron stood there, looking at Tidus and company.

"Yuna! Auron! Rikku! When did you guys get here?" Tidus asked excitedly.

"Not too long ago. I saw these two earlier and arranged a meeting. We were headed to the training center where we thought you would be, until we ran into Vincent and he said you were here," Auron replied bluntly.

"Vincent...? Vincent Valentine?" Dante asked. The look on Squall's face clearly indicated he was thinking the same thing.

"That's him!" Rikku said, in a high-pitched voice.

"He's finally in? I must have missed seeing him earlier due to all the commotion. Thank God," Dante said quickly, as he stood up. "Nice meeting you ladies. Auron, always a pleasure." The half demon then walked out the door and a silent Squall followed him.

"What's wrong with our company?" Rikku asked, in a somewhat whiny tone. Her question was completely ignored.

"Tidus, it's so nice to see you again..." Yuna said, in her normally quiet voice. She grasped his hand with hers and looked up at him.

"My apologies to you two, but there's a more pressing matter I must discuss with Tidus right now," Auron said. Yuna and Tidus quickly pulled their hands away, as Rikku tried to contain her laughter.

"When we ran into Vincent earlier, it looked like a regular citizen had tried to mug, or perhaps even kill, him. Obviously, Vincent was not caught off-guard, seeing how he's one of the most cautious people here. Make sure you're careful when on the streets or in the alleys."

"I don't like that Vincent, he's kind of scary," Rikku said, in a half-playful, half-serious tone. She looked as if she was in some deep thought, which Auron was willing to bet was actually quite shallow.

"I'm sure he feels much the same about you," Auron quickly shot back.

"Wait a minute…what if Squall and Dante get hurt right now?" Tidus shouted, not even expecting an answer to his question.

"I wouldn't worry much about those two, so sit down and stop drawing attention to yourself," Auron replied.

The warrior looked around the bar to find many regular townspeople and even a few contest veterans looking over at their table curiously. His eyes met those of Sephiroth's, a former contest champion and now one of the sponsors of this year's tournament. The grey-haired man stood up and slowly walked over to their table. He pushed people out of his way as if they were insects, smiling malevolently.

"So, it seems most of you guys have some tough draws first round. Especially you, Yuna," Sephiroth said, leaning closer to the Summoner.

"What do you want?" Tidus demanded angrily, standing up.

"Sit down if you value your life, fool!" Sephiroth said fiercely, turning to face Tidus in a flash. The blitzball player struggled for words but found none forthcoming. Eventually he simply sat down in frustration.

"I'm looking forward to your match with Ganondorf, Yuna. And yours too, Auron," said the former SOLDIER, in a mocking tone. He turned on his heel, and left the bar.

"I hate that guy!" Rikku said, crossing her arms over her chest. Tidus and Auron laughed slightly at her, as Yuna turned to Tidus.

"Let's go, Tidus. It's too loud here," Yuna said, standing up and grabbing his hand. They walked out of the bar just as Vincent came in. He nodded to the two as they passed him.

"Wait for me!" Rikku shouted, jumping up and nearly running towards the door. Vincent grabbed her arm as she tried to pass. He shook his head and laughed slightly. Auron's laughter drew Vincent's attention. He realized the whole bar was focused on them, mainly due to the comical struggle of Rikku.

"Rikku, stop struggling. If I was there, I'd have stopped you too," Auron instructed the Al Bhed woman. His words drifted freely through the quiet bar.

"But-"

"Do you have any idea what those two do?" Auron asked, smiling at Rikku.

Vincent couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being laughed at. His feelings were validated as one man shouted something vulgar about him and Rikku. He loosened his grip on Rikku, who now stood quite still. She finally noticed she had not been grabbed by a hand, but by a gold claw. She cared less than she normally would, however, as she sensed the anger from Vincent, who was staring at the man angrily.

'Let it go, Vincent. No need to hurt more people. You've done enough in the past, and will continue to do so...' Vincent thought to himself, but he was interrupted by the same man as before.

"What's the matter, buddy? You're scaring your lady friend!"

Vincent's form swelled in anger again. Rikku swore she felt the ferocity of a monster coming from the tortured man. He growled fiercely and continued to stare at the man.

"Ooh, scary. He's growling. He's some sort of 'monster'," laughed the man and his buddies. The bar, however, was silenced quickly as the flash of a blade and eruption of a shotgun sent the man reeling backwards.

"Indeed he is," said Auron, sheathing his Masamune and walking towards Rikku. Vincent put away his shotgun, and noticed the fear in Rikku's eyes.

"So much like Lucrecia..." he said quietly. He looked at Auron and nodded. The two left the bar silently, trailed by a dozen pairs of eyes and a slightly shaken Rikku.

"Thanks," Vincent said quietly and coldly. Auron knew that was about as much as he would get and nodded, a grin working its way onto his face.

"So, who's Lucrecia?" Auron asked, ready to face the man's wrath. He hoped the question was not out of line.

"The reason I am what I am," Vincent replied.

It was half-true. Shinra was the reason he could transform, but his memories of Lucrecia were always the reason he did. Auron expected the vague answer and continued walking. He was startled when Vincent spoke again.

"Rikku…she…reminds me of her, oddly enough. Looks, personality, nothing is that similar. However, she stirs up memories I'd rather have kept dormant."

Auron nodded again and turned around in fear as he heard Rikku's voice. He hoped she had not heard that last comment.

"Stop walking so fast guys! You want me to be mugged?"

Vincent froze as she said those words. He looked down, hoping to conceal his face. Auron sensed that the man was reliving old memories. He sensed fear and anger coming from him.

"My apologies. It's time I retire for the night and get some sleep," Vincent said. "Auron, Luc-" He stopped and shook his head. "…Rikku, good night."

Rikku stood with a puzzled look on her face, as she watched the dark man walk down an alley and blend in with the shadows. Auron knew Vincent would not be sleeping, and a shout of fear from the alley he walked into confirmed that.

"Let's go find Yuna and Tidus…I just pray our timing isn't poor," Auron said, walking down the street, blindly guessing where they might be. Rikku stood still for a second. When she snapped out of it she had to run to catch up to him again.

"Say, Auron…"

"What is it, Rikku?"

"Who's Luc?"

Auron laughed at the girl and kept walking. "Don't worry about that. Worry about what Sephiroth said. Worry about your opponents. Don't worry about people like Vincent. I have a feeling we'll be hearing lots about him anyways" The reply shocked Rikku, who was clearly expecting a simple explanation.

Yuna and Tidus were shocked, and quickly moved away from each other when they heard a knock on the door of Tidus' hotel room. He quickly got up and answered the door, only to see Rikku and Auron smiling back at him.

"Surprised you two are still dressed," Auron said, causing Yuna to look away in embarrassment. "Listen, I want you two to avoid the locals and fans. Vincent was confronted three times now, and sadly, I don't think the last two shared the same fate as the first man." He knew the fate of the second man, as he played a part in injuring him. He hoped someone stopped the bleeding, as neither of the attacks should have killed the would-be assailant if he got proper care.

"What about the police? Won't they do something to Vincent?" Tidus asked, as he was clearly worried.

"I doubt it. All three men were either trying to kill him or found a way to mock him," Auron said, casting a sideways glance at Rikku. "Either way, I would suggest not going out into the streets after nightfall."

Tidus and Yuna walked to the window of the hotel room to get a look down at the roads. Crono, a seasoned veteran, was walking towards the hotel while carefully eyeing the alleyways.

"If Crono's worried, then I would be as well. Some contestants will have no problem with killing, like that Vincent, but I couldn't..." Yuna trailed off.

"I'd watch what you say about Vincent," countered Auron. Rikku looked on in fascination, as she remembered the grip on her arm that could have ripped it right off.

"Or what? Will he kill Yuna too! He's a monster!" Tidus shouted, in unexpected anger.

"That may be so, but perhaps you should get to know the man. He suffers more than anyone else here. The true monster lies not in a man driven to anger, but in the man who embraces anger," Auron said, solemnly. His slightly cryptic words were the last thing the others heard from him that night, as he seamlessly spun around on his heel and left the room in silence.


	11. Introduction Part VIII

**Intoduction Part VIII**

_By IAStarDragon_

It seemed like a normal day for everyone in the city and Ness was in quite a good mood. Soon everyone would be focused solely on competing in the tourney, but for now that didn't matter to him. He could prepare for his match later. At this moment, Ness just wanted to have some fun.

So did Mario. Yeah, he'd been there before and he knew that he'd win a few matches, but it almost seemed that he was out of it for some unknown reason. It was almost a crazy coincidence that he ran into Ness.

"Hello-a, Ness. What-a brings you out-a here?" asked Mario.

"Nothing much really. I just wanted to have some fun before we start getting really serious, you know. I have an idea, what about a baseball game? The stadium was built to adapt to a wide variety of conditions, so why not?"

"Sure-a, Ness. You-a get 8 guys and I'll-a get 8 guys and we can-a have some-a fun before the fighting begins. Now-a, who's going to get the umpire?"

"I'll get an umpire, Mario. And I promise you it won't be CATS. He's more crooked then a bent stick."

"Deal, Ness. CATS was-a lame umpire the last time we had a game. How about-a Auron? He seems like the perfect guy for this."

"Sure, I'll talk to him about that. We're going to have so much fun! I'll see you later, Mario."

"Sure-a thing, Ness. Just remember, that I'm-a the best!"

With that, Ness and Mario headed off in different directions, each with a goal in mind: To get eight other players to join their baseball team.

The only problem was that they hadn't agreed on a time to start the game. It didn't matter, though, because for once, the focus wouldn't be on the battles. Instead, it would be on the diamond.

It took some time, but each side finally convinced 16 other contestants to join them in this blissful little diversion.

Ness' team was all about speed, with the top of his order being Joanna Dark and Ryu Hayabusa, the first and second basemen of the team respectively. After them, he had Kirby, his catcher at the three spot and Zidane, the shortstop, batting cleanup. The final five were his outfielders: Vivi, Yoshi, and Pac-Man, with Ness, the pitcher, hitting eighth. The third baseman, Donkey Kong, would be batting last.

Mario's team was the polar opposite. It was all about power and that was a major understatement when he placed the King of All Cosmos (inexplicably shrunken down to a slightly more manageable size, yet still towering) at the top of his order and had him fill in as his centerfielder (Mario figured that his height would ruin any home run chances for Ness' team). Then, a few surprises popped out as Bowser, his sworn enemy, would bat second at second base. His catcher, Alucard, was third and then it was CJ at third base batting fourth. In the five hole was Gordon Freeman, who was the first baseman. Then, Mario rounded it out with his brother, Luigi, at right field, KOS-MOS at left, Yuna at shortstop and, of course, Mario pitching.

All of those who weren't selected were asked to be umpires, and of those asked, only four wanted to do it. Crono, usually silent, would be the umpire behind home plate while Ryu was behind first base and Leon Kennedy would be behind third. CATS, as much as both Ness and Mario wanted to keep him out of this, begged and pleaded his way in as the outfield umpire. He kept on glancing at the bases in envy, though, an action which slightly unnerved the two captains.

Before the game started, Ness and Mario went to the pitcher's mound to exchange lineup cards when Ness asked Mario why Auron didn't accept the umpire position.

Mario said that the swordsman told him that he was a better spectator then a player. So, with that, the first ever Summer Contest Baseball Challenge was underway. Presented by EA Sports, of course.

As the game started, things went very smoothly as each side got out in a one, two, three fashion for the first three innings. Then, in the top of the fourth...

Ness' team had Joanna Dark come up to bat with the score tied at 0-0. Mario was sent to throw out his fastball and aimed it at her knees. She barely missed getting beamed and Crono had to warn Mario not to do that again. This time, he used his curveball, and it went wild!

Needless to say, with the batter's count working for Joanna and Mario starting to sweat, he threw what seemed like a simple fastball. But there was something awfully fishy about it.

"Time!" yelled Crono. The fans, who were rooting for all of the contestants, were wondering what was going on. "Alright, Mario. I know, you know, and everyone in the stands know you've cheated before. Let's see the glove."

"Sure-a thing, Crono." Mario gave Crono his glove and found out that there was something wrong alright: it was plastered in K-Y Jelly. This wasn't a fastball…it was the classic spitter, done with a generous heaping of lubrication.

"You're outta here!" exclaimed Crono as he tossed Mario out of the game. Mario decided to stay and argue, but even he should know that you never, ever, argue with the umpire. Crono let him have it with a swift kick to his manhood.

His brother, Luigi, came to Mario's defense and helped him off the field. As they were heading towards the locker room, a fan had a video camera and he was taping the whole ordeal. Taking the page out of the "How to be a Jackass, by Kenny 'The Gambler' Rogers" book, Luigi grabbed the camera and threw it down, shattering it into quite a few pieces.

Needless to say, Mario's team decided to have a little chat. "We believe the team needs help," stated the King of All Cosmos.

"I see your point, King, but we need a new pitcher or we'll have to forfeit…and you know how much I hate losing!" exclaimed Gordon.

Alucard grabbed Gordon and started slapping some sense into him. "Get a hold of yourself, Freeman. I have an idea. Since the King of All Cosmos is known for his round katamari ball, why not let him pitch?"

The others agreed with Alucard, as if it was some sort of a grand scheme. Except for Gordon who insisted that he should pitch for the team.

"Man, Gordon. No wonder people think you're a joke. You whine more then Peach ever did!" chimed in Bowser.

"Not now, Bowser," Yuna said, hoping to defuse the situation before it got ugly.

Alucard was forced into a tough situation. Should he have the team vote on letting the King of All Cosmos becoming the new pitcher or should they forfeit the game?

It took about five minutes for him to think it over, but Alucard finally decided to take a vote. It was nearly unanimous: The King of All Cosmos would be the new pitcher for Mario's team.

The left an even bigger hole, though: who would be playing centerfield? Thankfully, Alucard had just the person in mind to take over.

To some contestants' surprise, Kratos Aurion stepped on to the field and joined the team in their little chat.

"Hey, guys. I know I'm new here, but thanks for letting me join your team," stated Kratos.

"No sweat, kid," added Gordon. "We always like to see some new guys come up and get involved with a few of the more fun activities."

CJ, who was the quiet one here, chose this time to speak out. "Yeah, dawg. I can only be in one place at one time, or else I could totally rock this field. You better have some mad skills yourself, though. They have some crazy fucking players on their side."

"I know," said Kratos. "Why did you think I was watching everything in the stands before?"

With that settled, the game went on and the King struck Joanna out with three straight pitches.

The game remained scoreless until the fifth inning, when CJ hit a double, bringing Bowser in to score.

It wasn't until the eight inning when Team Ness earned another run when Ryu Hayabusa nailed a solo shot that was estimated to go about 520 feet.

At the bottom of the ninth inning the score was tied at 1. It was now up to the new guy, Kratos, to decide the outcome of this game. Heroes could be made in this pressure packed situation. On the other hand, it could also deliver a crushing blow if something went wrong.

The inning started when CJ hit a single to left field.

Then, it was Alucard's turn to hit. He nailed a shot to right field. It was going to be caught by Pac-Man, but he ran into Vivi, causing the ball to drop, allowing CJ to reach third while Alucard held at second base.

It was now up to Kratos.

Ness had to throw his best stuff now because he knew that one bad pitch could cost him the game, with no one to blame but himself.

The first pitch was a slow ball and Kratos swung at it.

"STRIKE ONE!" exclaimed Crono as Kirby spit the ball back at Ness.

The next pitch was a sinker. Kratos checked his swing as it hit the dirt. It was now a 1-1 count.

Next came another slow ball, and yet again, Kratos swung at it. The pressure was starting to get to him. One more missed swing and they would have to go extra innings to settle the game.

Ness eyed Kirby and nodded his head at his catcher's selection. Rearing his arm back, he released the ball with a flourish. It was a fastball, straight down the middle. Kratos swung at it and he connected with a resounding crack. The ball skirted toward the left field wall. Pointing his arms towards the wall a la Carl Yastrzemski back in the day, it went... FAIR!

HOME RUN! Team Mario had won the game!

Kratos hit the game winning run. He knew it didn't mean much in the grand scheme of things, but for it was worth, this gave him a bit of a emotional boost heading into the tourney. What seemed like a horrible situation after Mario got ejected turned into a thrilling victory.

It was at that moment that Ness came out and congratulated the game winning player. 

"Well, Kratos, that was great. I'm so glad that we had some fun here…even if Mario did cheat."

"Don't feel so bad, Ness. It was nice for all of us to have our fun but now we really need to get serious and prepare for the tournament. Look at this way...it was a great stress reliever and I'm sure everyone here is thankful that you took some time out to organize this."

"Sounds good. Just promise me one thing."

"And what's that?"

"Don't bring up anything about baseball again for the rest of the contest, alright?"

"Deal," said Aurion, as he smiled at the youth from Onett.


	12. Introduction Finale

**Introduction Finale**

_By Daredevil3181_

All the contestants had been slowly feeling their way around the city known as Grandis Somnium. Whether it was going to the local bars, aimlessly meandering down its streets, or devoting themselves wholly to the training center, the combatants enjoyed the amenities this place had to offer in one form or another. All of them except for one.

"Terra! How nice it is to see you," said a matronly woman with a smile on her face.

"I'm just glad I can help," responded the half-esper girl.

"The children are grateful for all the time you've put in here. Some of the families in this city work really hard to make ends meet. If it wasn't for us their kids would remain unsupervised and who knows what tragedy could strike." The woman looked saddened at this last statement.

'She's remembering her own child,' Terra thought to herself. 'Exhausted after working one night, she collapsed upon her bed. A fire broke out in the building. No matter how much I reassure her she'll keep blaming herself.'

"You've done so much good, Marie," Terra said, as she placed her arm on the shoulder of the older woman. "I'm really happy to make a difference here in the short time I have."

Both women grimaced at this last statement. Try as she might, Terra wasn't really a fighter and both of them knew that. Neither wanted to be reminded of it, but it wouldn't be too long before Terra headed back to her own dimension.

"Tewwa! Tewwa!" a young girl yelled as she ran up to her, still wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"Hey, Casey!" the green-haired woman grinned as she bent down and picked up the toddler. "Look who's the first to awaken. What were you up to today? Causing trouble again?"

"No Tewwa!" the young girl shouted. "I was a good girl!"

Terra looked over at the daycare area that was a complete mess. There were half-eaten crayons, building blocks all over the place, and cereal decorating the floor. 'Somehow I doubt that,' she thought to herself. 'Can't fault them for having a childhood, though. It's something I was never really offered. I sure won't let anyone deny them this opportunity if I can help it.'

"I hear the contest is starting tomorrow. When will you be competing?" Marie wondered.

"Not for another three weeks," Terra replied. "I'm fighting against someone named Dante. He seems to have a general unpleasant attitude. On top of that, he's a half-demon…"

"You can't lose to that meanie, Tewwa!"

Terra couldn't help but laugh at the little girl. "OK, I'll win just for you. How does that sound, Casey?"

"Yay!" laughed the girl. "Nobody can beat Miss Tewwa!"

'Three more weeks,' sighed Terra. 'At least I can make myself useful here in the meantime.'

One by one, the other children began to wake up from their naps. Each one of their faces lit up with surprise and joy when they saw the green-haired woman. Very soon she was mobbed by an army of little people.

"Who wants to play some duck-duck-goose?" Terra asked.

"Me!" all the children shouted at once.

"OK, we need to form a circle. And let's see, who should I start out with…Tyler! You can be 'it' first."

The kids sat down and began to start the timeless game. Terra even allowed herself to join in once or twice, playfully hugging the little ones as she tagged them back. Marie just looked on in silent appreciation.

'Three weeks,' thought Marie. She turned quickly before any of the group could see a small tear forming at the corner of her eye. 'But thank you lord for even this small amount of time. It's good to know you really are looking out for some of us.'

-----

While a higher authority may have been granting its favor to the half-esper girl, there were some people that were beyond redemption. One man in particular was robed in a green cloak, his face painted in a macabre parody of a jester's visage. Laughing to himself about anything and nothing, to call him crazy would be an understatement.

'Look at everyone walking around down here,' thought Kefka as his lip curled in disgust. 'Moving around like little ants. They should only be so lucky to have someone like me as their champion.'

Speaking of ants, the clown suddenly felt a sting on his upper thigh. Glancing down, it soon became apparent that he was standing right in the middle of a red ant pile. Eyes going wide, he leaped to the side and immediately collected some power into his hands. Flames shot out as the ant pile was incinerated.

The man wasn't done yet, though. He then grabbed a nearby stick and began whacking the burnt ground with a wild fervor. With each pounding the ground took he snickered at how much those annoying bugs would pay for attacking him. After a minute or two he peered at the ash intently for any signs of life. To his surprise, a single ant still crawled around in an attempt to get away from the gruesome carnage.

Kefka's face flushed with rage. 'These creatures have the audacity to live after I offered them a most glorious death! How dare they!'

"Destroy, destroy, destroy!" the jester cackled as he danced on top of the lone living insect. A few locals walked by and just stared at the man in wonderment. The ones that knew better pulled their children closer to them and left the lunatic to his own madness.

"Dead ant…dead ant…dead ant, dead ant, dead ant, dead ant…" the clown sung in a little impromptu song. Looking at the miniature carnage, he grinned in sadistic glee.

"Cower, you dogs!" Kefka called out to no one in particular. "Soon you'll know what it's like to have a true ruler!"

A lone figure surveyed all this with a cool façade. His eyes were hidden from view by a pair of thick sunglasses. With his arms crosses over his chest, he couldn't believe

this one's sheer insanity.

'If you were to rule the world, it would definitely wind up as some kind of perverted, ruined place,' Albert Wesker thought to himself. 'I, on the other hand, don't destroy things merely for the sake of destroying. Everything serves a purpose in life and sometimes in death as well. It's just up to the superior ones, like myself, to find out what that purpose is and exploit it.'

Kefka began walking around in circles and muttering obscenities to himself under his breath. Every twenty steps or so he would then bend down to wipe some imaginary substance off his boots. After a few more minutes Wesker could stand it no longer.

"I really don't like to play favorites when it's none of my concern," Wesker said to himself. "But I really hope that gangster gets rid of this blight. His very presence absolutely sickens me."

Sighing to no one in particular, the former STARS leader adjusted his glasses, ran his hands through his cropped hair, and made sure his tight shirt looked presentable. With one last glance at the jester, he started the walk back to the hotel.

'I used to worry about zombies being contagious,' Wesker thought. 'When that proved to be true and that it could be manipulated, all was well. Now I worry about his insanity catching. Not because I couldn't overcome it, but because there would be absolutely no value in controlling it.'

Kefka just laughed a maniacal howl as Wesker began to put distance between himself and the green-cloaked madman.

-----

"So, let me guess this straight…" began Ocelot. "We bring you this thing and you'll grant us power?"

"That's correct," Sephiroth replied. "Power that not only can be used here, but can also be carried back to your home dimension."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Big Boss asked, doubting the man's supposed sincerity.

"You can't," the silver-haired man stated flat out. "But on that note, how do I know I can trust you to not steal the artifact for yourselves?"

"Point taken," Big Boss conceded.

"What's this worth to you anyways?" Ocelot demanded.

'Watch who you're addressing with that tone,' Sephiroth thought as he shot daggers at the older man's lack of respect.

"Oh, it's sentimental value more than anything," Sephiroth explained. "Swords take many different shapes and forms throughout the dimensions. I am what you would call a collector. This one in particular bears a strange similarity to my own. As such, it should be mine."

"I'm not someone's errand boy, kid," Big Boss said. "This power better be worth the risk."

Before the final word has left Big Boss' mouth, he was shocked to find himself suspended by his neck a good foot off the ground. He squeezed down hard on the fingers the tightened around his throat, fighting for air. Finally, he was released and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap, wheezing for breath.

"The strength you both shall be granted will be worth far more than any trouble this assignment proves to be," hissed Sephiroth. "On the other hand, you don't have too many options. I am a judge here and no one would consider it strange if one of our contestants met with an unfortunate 'accident'. There's already enough crime in this city as is."

"Sonuva…" Big Boss trailed off under his breath.

"Don't worry about him," Ocelot interjected, trying to calm the sinister man's rage. "You just keep up your end of the bargain and we'll keep ours."

"Splendid," the imposing figure said, again through his obviously hollow smile. "You may now take your leave."

Ocelot didn't need to be told twice as he briskly walked out the door. Big Boss looked at Sephiroth with a glance bordering on hate. What seemed like an eternity passed before he finally broke it off and turned around. There was a look of disgust on his face as he stormed out of the suite. The door slammed with barely suppressed rage.

As the footsteps grew softer and softer, Sephiroth mentally reviewed the day's plans and took a seat at his large, ornately-decorated desk.

"You don't plan to keep your word, do you?" a voice asked from inside the shadows.

"Of course not," Sephiroth answered, not even bothering to glance up from his papers. "Well, not entirely. They will gain power…just not in the way that they were expecting."

"Excellent plan," the hooded figure agreed. "Couldn't have done it any better myself."

"Do you have anything else to say or will I have to forcibly request you to leave this room too?"

"Gather your power," the person cryptically hissed. "He already starts to amass his own players and to devise strategies of his own."

"All for naught in the end, I'm afraid. There can only be one victor when this contest is over. And I'm not talking about our so-called 'champion'. The real battle will rage afterwards. It's not one I intend on losing."

"Just be careful," the person warned. "Overconfidence has been many a failed conqueror's downfall."

"How nice of you to worry about my safety," Sephiroth said slowly, mock sincerity mixed into his words. "And another thing, you never told me exactly what you get out of all this. Why aid me in my plans?"

"One shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, can't an old soul have a little amusement in this world from watching interesting events transpire?"

"I suppose so," the former SOLDIER said. "But I'm sure you have another agenda. Just remember I'll be keeping my eye on you as well. And I don't react too well to traitors who have wronged me."

"Fear not," the cloaked one gurgled. "The only person you should worry about now is your eternal opposition. After he is out of the way, then you can broaden your horizons and implement your true goals."

"You know nothing of my real plans," Sephiroth coldly stated. There was a pause that seemed to make the air as thick as molasses. "Now get out of my presence. Your stench disgusts me."

Bowing in an exaggerated manner, the figure retreated back into the shadows and disappeared. The hooded one wasn't the only one to leave the room, though. A certain figure heard all that had transpired and wasn't pleased one bit. It was a good thing that he had taken what he needed from that Princess. The time for him to once again play that haunting tune would come a lot sooner than he had hoped. With a slight shudder, he quietly slipped out through a back window. A faint breeze was the only thing that marked his passing as Sephiroth took note of a draft that had begun to ruffle his papers.

"Damn that cloaked one," Sephiroth hissed. "The least he could do is close the window after he leaves."


	13. Mario vs Joanna Dark: It Begins

**Mario vs. Joanna Dark: It Begins**

_By Daredevil3181_

It was the night before the match and tourists and locals alike were growing anxious. Tomorrow would be the start of the tournament and the first victor would be declared. On that note, the first loser would be sent home to his or her dimension. While most of the contestants were looking at this as pure entertainment, just like the rest of the populace, two in particular were inspecting their equipment before the fight.

"So, what's-a that you got there, Mario?" Luigi asked, as Mario strapped an odd contraption to his back.

"This is-a me friend, FLUDD," the red plumber answered.

"How's-a that gonna help?" the green one wondered, scratching his head.

"That woman has-a red hair!" Mario replied. "This-a thing shoots out-a water and stuff. It'll help to put-a that hothead out."

"What's-a that button do?" the younger Mario brother asked, as his hand inched closer to a red button on one of the bag's straps.

"Don't-a touch!" yelled Mario, slapping Luigi's hand away. "That's-a FLUDD's conversion switch!"

"Conversion?"

"Yeah, Gordon installed it-a special for me," Mario beamed. "It-a cost me some coins, but I'm-a pleased with it."

"But what does it-a convert to?"

"A normal backpack," Mario laughed.

"I still don't-a get it," Luigi said, finally giving up his futile quest to try and understand his older brother.

"Don't-a worry little brother," Mario reassured Luigi. "You'll a-see it in action!"

"Okie dokie, Mario," said Luigi. "But now it's-a time for our-a pre-fight ritual!"

"You don't-a mean…?"

"Oh, yes I do!" Luigi chuckled. "It's-a our spaghetti dinner. You can't-a be hungry when you-a fight tomorrow!"

"Mama mia!" Mario yelped in joy. The two brothers sat down and began devouring their beloved food. Not a word was spoken between them as the pasta was literally shoved down their gullets. You just can't mess with tradition.

--------

"D-minus!" Joanna shouted. "That ass Gordon rated me a D-minus!"

The spy slammed her fists on the desk, shaking the laptop around a bit. Infuriated, she ran her hands through her crimson locks. Her arms trembled in rage as she couldn't believe the nerve that nerd had in classifying her so low.

'Calm yourself, Joanna,' she thought to herself. 'No sense in getting riled up over things just yet. Besides, I do have the advantage of preparation.'

"Now, let's see what this Mario guy is rated…" She clicked around the menus until the mustachioed plumber's bio came up.

'A-rank…just great,' Joanna sighed. 'But then again, I should expect no less from the top seed in my division.'

Joanna began reading her opponent's description very carefully. Among the various power-ups he used, she saw one in particular that caught her attention. After re-reading the words a few times, she laughed to herself.

"Something so mundane could actually invigorate him?" Joanna asked aloud. "Who knew? But there has to be a way to exploit this. I've taken advantage of situations before. I just need to think…"

The espionage expert closed her eyes, forcing her mind to work to find a solution that she could use. On the job she was forced to think on her feet and now that experience was paying off. Finally, a solitary idea popped into her head. It was simple but it would do the job.

'Even better,' she smiled, 'is the fact that I get to pick the combat terrain tomorrow.'

She walked over to her nightstand and picked up the room's phone. She dialed a few numbers and anxiously listened for the sound of a voice. On the third ring, someone picked up.

"Hello, room service," Joanna began, "this is Ms. Dark in room 1009…Yeah, I guess I am a little jumpy before tomorrow's match…Hmmmm? No, no parties here tonight…I don't need 'that' type of attention, but thanks for offering. Think you could do a different favor for me though? I'm really hungry and was wondering if the kitchen was still open…It is? Excellent. I'll take a number 4 then…No, no wine, but thanks for offering…OK, 30 minutes? Sounds great. See you then."

She hung up the phone and then walked over to her gear. Her black suit was brand new and had compartments all over for ammunition and other surprises. The weapons she would bring into the stadium had all been tested at the training center and she was most pleased with their performance. Confident that all was well, Joanna ejected the disc out of her laptop and closed the computer down. She folded it in half and then slid it into a black backpack of sorts. Inside the bag were 4 other similar looking computers.

Suddenly, a knock on her door snapped her out of her trance. It was the room service man and he was just on time. With a sly grin on her face, the spy opened her door and signed for her order.

The food smelled delicious but it wasn't for Joanna. Hurrying back to her bag, she pulled out a little vial of some liquid. After watching it absorb into the meal, she then put it in her refrigerator. She'd make sure to heat it up before the match but for now it would have to sit. As for the spy, it was time for her to get her beauty rest. Laughing to herself for her well-conceived plan, she grabbed her eye mask, shut off the light, and was soon fast asleep.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and whatever the hell you other creatures are," a loud voice boomed over the stadium's sound system, "the time you have all been waiting for is now here. The fourth annual Interdimensional Tournament now begins!"

A raucous cheer sprang up from the crowd at this proclamation. For some people it was the first tournament they had seen, while others were veterans. Just looking at their faces it was impossible to tell who was who as they all shared the same frenzied expression.

"And here are the organizers of our tournament! Without them this contest could only be the stuff of dreams! I'd like to hear a big round of applause for Cloud, Link, and Sephiroth!"

Thunderous applause sounded as the three stood up from their judges' chairs at the bottom of the stadium. Sephiroth seemed to be lapping up the attention as he flashed that fake smile of his while precisely waving to the throng. Cloud looked around and laughed but he was still uncomfortable receiving all that attention. Link just stared at the people and nodded. This clearly was not his thing and the other two judges knew it.

"And now, let's start things off with a bang! Coming from the south end of the stadium is the top seed of this division. Weighing in at a solid 200 pounds, the mustachioed machioso, the plumber who can unclog any drain, and the savior of the Mushroom Kingdom: Mario Mario!"

Mario smiled as he ran out and went to stand in front of the three judges. He blew kisses to all his fans in the audience. He even did an impromptu backflip, which got the crowd even more into it.

"And emerging from the north end, we have his competitor. Weighing in at… well, a lady never tells her weight…an expert spy and an all-around great gal, say hello to Joanna Dark!"

The cheers were there, but there were obviously less than the fanfare that greeted Mario.

'Good, more fuel for the fire,' Joanna thought. She nodded and waved a bit to the crowd but for the most part her eyes remained fixed on her competition. Finally, she came to a stop in front of the big three.

"As per the rules, the lower seed may select the terrain if she so desires," instructed Sephiroth. "Do you have a request, Lady Dark?"

"Yes," Joanna replied. "I choose Grassy Maze as my combatant configuration."

"Snap to it," Cloud said to the stadium's operator, as he snapped his fingers in a little flourish.

The man nodded and suddenly the open grassy area of the stadium began to change in front of everyone's eyes. Powerful technology went to work as granite walls sprung up all over the floor, forming some type of elaborate labyrinth. The people in the stands could see into the maze without a problem but the walls were easily double the height of Joanna, who was a good six inches taller than little plumber.

"Pick your side," Link told Mario, no emotion in his voice.

"I'm-a gonna go to the…South Side!" Mario laughed. He then hopped away toward the end he came from.

"Guess I know where I start from," Joanna said, barely speaking above a whisper. She trudged over to her starting area and then nodded to the judges when she was ready. Sephiroth then motioned to the stadium's operator.

"Looks like everything is in place," boomed the announcer. "So without further ado, let's get this tournament started! Combatants get ready…1, 2, 3…go!"

At that last word Joanna took off like a bullet and quickly maneuvered around the granite slabs. She ran back and forth a few times, utilizing her finely honed reflexes. After a little bit of sprinting, she reached into her bag and pulled out a warm, aluminum foil-wrapped item. She deftly set it free, broke off a piece and then threw it in a corner. Zigzagging around the maze, she continued this until there was nothing left to throw. Balling up the foil, she chucked it at the ground. Now all she had to do was wait.

Mario had sprinted off himself and occasionally did a quick succession of jumps to peek over the walls and see if he could spot his opponent. Either she was still too far away or he was looking in the wrong places, but he still couldn't get a bead on her. Suddenly, his nose was assaulted by the most delicious aroma. Taking a whiff of the scrumptious smell, he followed it back to its source.

"There's-a portobello here for-a me!" Mario exclaimed as he got a glance of the mushroom. He quickly picked it up and without a second thought began chomping away. Although there was a match going on, the hefty plumber always made time for food.

"Gotcha," whispered Joanna, as she saw her adversary through the scope of her Farsight gun. He was blissfully chomping down on the poisoned mushrooms. Not wasting any time, she fired off a shot at the little man.

"What's-a that!" Mario yelled as a bullet came out of nowhere and grazed the top of his hat. Joanna had fired at him, yet he couldn't see the spy. Jumping to the top of the maze, he peered around but still couldn't find the surprise attack's origin. One thing he was certain of, though. The next shot wouldn't miss.

Joanna didn't waste any movement, either. She had intentionally missed her first shot. The Farsight bullet was strong, but even it wouldn't be that strong when it had to travel across almost the entire length of the stadium and through just about every wall of the maze. She had flushed Mario out into the open, though.

Picking a secure spot, the spy reached into her backup and lovingly rubbed the surface of her computers. With a flick of a switch, gun barrels, handles, and triggers popped up. The laptops' gun modes had been activated.

Mario was bounding across the tops of the stones in a frantic attempt to find the spy and end this quickly. He gripped the straps of FLUDD tenaciously. Suddenly, his stomach started to rumble.

'What's-a that?' Mario wondered. It didn't happen again, though, so he decided not to pay it any mind and just continued on his way.

'My stronghold is finally set up,' Joanna thought to herself. 'The laptops will take care of him if he gets too close. Now it's time to drop him like a fly.'

The woman pulled out another weapon. This one looked like a generic rocket launcher but it was a lot better than its old-fashioned predecessors. Pulling out her camera scope, Joanna launched a rocket into the sky.

"There-a you are!" Mario shouted, as he saw the ballistic fly into the air. He laughed at the stupidity of his opponent giving away her opposition. Suddenly the smile slid off his face as he saw the rocket quickly change directions and fly right at him.

"Aaaahhh!" Mario screamed, as he barely dodged to the side in time. He could feel the heat of the passing projectile as it flew by his exposed skin. Not to mention his stomach had started to rumble again.

Clutching his belly, Mario jumped ever closer to Joanna. "Missed me!"

"Not exactly," Joanna said in retort. "Look behind you."

Mario turned around just in time to see the rocket had completely reversed directions and was now coming straight for him. He tried to move out of the way, but suddenly his legs felt like jelly as his stomach groaned again. Try as he might, there was no dodging this one.

"Oh-a crap," Mario sighed as he braced himself for the impact.

There was a loud explosion as the rocket blew the plumber back on to the ground. Assessing the damage, Mario was delighted to find that he was still in one piece, despite being short a few bits of his shirt, hat, and overalls. He tried to get up but found he was still too weak. Suddenly, he turned his head at the sound of some mechanical contraption moving. The laptop turrets were aimed right at him.

"This is-a not good," Mario said to himself. The guns were rearing back to fire. Try as he might, the little man still couldn't move his legs. Not to mention that his arms were now starting to fail him. "FLUDD old-a buddy, don't-a fail me now."

In response to its master's wish, the water spewing backpack quickly fired a powerful stream of water at the wall in front of the plumber. The sudden recoil sent Mario hurtling backward, out of range of the bullets.

'That was-a close,' Mario told himself.

Slowly forcing himself to stand on his wobbly legs, Mario moved a switch on FLUDD and converted it into hover mode. Just because he couldn't make himself jump didn't mean that he still couldn't get some height. Soaring above the granite rocks once more, Mario made a beeline for Joanna.

"Think again, my fat friend," Joanna laughed as she fired another Slayer rocket at Mario.

"I-a don't think so," Mario stated, as he touched down on top of a slab. He switched FLUDD into firing mode and waited for the rocket to get closer. When it was about to hit him again, he unleashed his water reserves.

The next 15 seconds were purely a battle of projectiles. Rocket thrusters versus water stream. Neither one was willing to give up any ground.

It was then that Mario had had enough and he upped his contraption's water pressure. FLUDD gave it all it had as the rocket slowly started to move backwards. At first its momentum was slow but it gradually began to pick up speed. With one last shove by FLUDD, the rocket careened out of the air and exploded right over Joanna's head.

"Damn!" she screamed. It wasn't a direct impact, but it still rattled her teeth.

"Now it's-a time to end this," Mario weakly huffed. He tried to bring FLUDD closer to the spy but he suddenly realized it was out of a very crucial component: water.

'Time for-a Gordon to come in handy,' thought Mario. His hand went over the red button that he had begged his younger brother not to touch. With a weak tap, he converted the bag's FLUDD capabilities into his personal storage compartment.

Pulling out a mushroom, the plumber knew he could trust these. Munching down on it, he could immediately feel his strength returning as the fungus began to battle the toxins out of his body. Satisfied that he could move a little better, Mario switched his normal hat for one with wings on it. He then touched a special flower and allowed it to absorb into his body.

"Let's-a go!" he shouted, as he began jumping.

Once.

Joanna readied another Slayer missile.

Twice.

The spy steadied her gun and got a lock on Mario.

Three times.

Joanna fired but this one missed its mark as Mario was suddenly airborne.

"Time to-a put an end to this!" Mario yelled, flying straight up.

"I don't think so," Joanna countered. She reached into her bag and pulled out her last laptop. Engaging its turret gun mode, she attached it to one of her rockets and fired it at the swift moving form.

Mario evaded the Slayer rocket as best he could, making sure to neutralize the bullets of the laptop gun with his own fireballs. Try as he might, he still couldn't get the annoying projectile off his tail. He couldn't sustain this flight forever and both he and Joanna knew it.

"Right where I want you," Joanna hissed, as she quickly dropped the Slayer's cannon and picked up her Farsight.

Mario was right on top of Joanna. He looked down, only to be greeted by the barrel of her gun. He knew he was a goner if he didn't act fast.

He yanked off his red winged cap and quickly donned a green one. Metal quickly encased his body as the sun's light reflected off his new form. He then began to drop. Staring straight down at the spy, Mario put his arms at his sides, quickening his descent.

Joanna fired the Farsight but it was too late. The bullet bounced harmlessly off the metallic Mario's invincible exterior. The last thing she remembered was the distinct smell of spaghetti as her opponent's body slammed into her. And then the world went black.

A little dazed himself, Mario got up and then glanced down at the fallen woman. She was down and wouldn't be getting up for a while. Smiling to the crowd, Mario began hopping up and down.

"I'm-a the winner!" the plumber shouted. The announcer quickly confirmed this and commented on how tense the match had been. Sephiroth smiled with that hollow look of his while Link glanced off into the distance somewhere. The most curious action, however, was Cloud's, as the swordsman ran down to the field and personally hoisted Mario off the field.

'Something's fishy…' Link thought as he quietly excused himself from his seating area, feigning a headache, and silently left the arena. 'And I will get to the bottom of it.'


	14. Interlude: Souls

**Souls**

_By Alpha Anomaly_

Cloud Strife's black boots made their presence known to his room's wooden floors, as he paced back and forth.

'He should be here by now, what's taking him so long?' Cloud worried as he clasped his arms together and continued his frantic walk.

Suddenly, Cloud turned around to repeat the pattern he had been boring into the ground when he saw a hooded figure standing right in front of him, looming somewhat ominously, maybe even a little threateningly. Cloud was surprised and took several steps back as a mixed sense of shock and, at the same time, relief, crossed his face.

"You're here…finally," Cloud spat as he regained his composure and calmly placed his right hand on the hilt of the Buster Sword lying obediently at his side.

"Indeed I am," the figure hissed. "What is it that you want, warrior?"

"I want to know what the hell is going on! Why do I feel some special power coursing through me? Tell me, wanderer!"

"I would have thought a sentient being such as yourself could have figured out the simple answer to that," the robed man sneered. "But apparently, as usual, I will have to spell everything out for you."

Cloud had never once seen the hooded man's face, as he always kept it well hidden in the shadows of his long, flowing robe. The savior of Gaia didn't appreciate being left in mystery and wanted to know who he was. At the same time, the knowledge that angering him and losing his trust would be cataclysmic towards his goals infuriated Cloud even more. 

'I cannot fail,' Cloud told himself adamantly, while the man stood jeering at Cloud's lack of intuitive skills. 'There is no way I can let myself become a pawn; become weak, like before. I must be strong or another dimension will be put at risk. This man can help me, I know it.'

"So," the robed man continued, "I believe you really do know why you are stronger, yet being as mentally weak as you are and have always been, you wish not to accept the simple truth. Think, Cloud. What has been done today? More importantly, by whom?"

Cloud thought about it momentarily and suddenly realized that what the figure must be talking about. He meant the match between Mario and Joanna Dark!

'Of course! Joanna had to go somewhere, didn't she? After she left through the medical room, no one saw her again. Mario defeated her, and so, with no more purpose for her in this realm, I gain her essence! I…take over her soul, because Mario defeated her. This makes perfect sense now.' Cloud stopped and thought about the implications of this and almost wanted to just celebrate with glee. After every defeat someone suffers in the arena at the hands of a person aligned with good, the loser's soul would be transported to Cloud.

But then, a wave of nausea hit him like a sack of bricks. Cloud staggered back, also realizing that he was damning everything he stood for.

'I'm supposed to be a good guy! I can't destroy these peoples' lives just for me to get stronger! That would be akin to Sephiroth, the haunting figure that has ruined my life, and taken over it as well. How can I do this?'

Cloud contemplated, for a very fleeting moment, shutting down the whole tournament. He had made a deal with the devil and the only way out would be to run away. Just like all the other times.

As if he could read Cloud's feeble and torn mind, the figure cackled. Cloud instantly closed his eyes hard, trying to escape the harsh, nails on the chalkboard sound emitted from the figure without directly holding his hands over his ears. Finally, the laughter ceased.

"Foolish boy!" The figure's tone turned from humorous to near anger, as if Cloud's thoughts offended him personally. "You can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs!"

Cloud thought about this as well. When had there not been sacrifice, even in their quest to stop Sephiroth the first time? Jessie had been crushed under the Sector 7 platform. Aeris had been…well, there had been ample sacrifice the first time. Sacrifice is necessary.

Cloud had made up his mind. He knew that Sephiroth was up to no good at all and he would undoubtedly be after more of the same power that Cloud had now obtained. Something was strange about this indeed. If Cloud gained all the souls defeated by good, who would gain all the souls defeated by bad? Cloud twirled his Buster Sword as he thought about it. He had a very good idea but he didn't necessarily want to voice his opinion, as if it would come true if he even said his name.

The figure looked at Cloud and smirked, "I think I'm done here. Call me when something more important occurs." With that, he was gone.

Cloud looked down at his hands and thought, 'Man, what have I gotten myself into? This is gonna be even worse than before…'

--------------

**Several Hours Earlier**

From his vantage point in the stands, he watched the ensuing battle. Everyone knew before the match had even begun who would be the victor, and so he was very uninterested with the goings-on. He cracked his neck and lay back in his comfortable seat. 

After a few antics here and there, Mario had defeated Joanna Dark. As bored as he was with the match, the man felt himself stand up and give the obligatory round of applause to the victor. The plumber took off his hat and waved to the crowd, happy to be done for a month.

The figure was just about to turn around and leave when something peculiar caught his wary eye.

Cloud Strife was running down to the arena floor to thunderous cheers from the fans, many of whom had not seen him arise form a sedentary pose since they had arrived. Cheers for the former champion were deafening and no one could hear him speaking to Mario with a large smile on his face. Suddenly, the blonde-haired fighter grasped Mario's wrist and thrust it into the air, the prone form of Joanna Dark being attended to beside him.

Back up in the stands, the figure frowned. 'Something is not right with this. Why is Cloud Strife of all people strolling up to the arena and congratulating a fighter on a victory that everyone knew he would win? He may be a sponsor, but I don't think parts of this fit here. Cloud Strife is up to something.'

He walked out of the arena and then waited off to the side until most of the other fans had filed out of the arena before he went to find Cloud back in the sponsors' waiting rooms in the arena.

He lined the halls, searching for Cloud's door, before knocking hard, yelling, "Get out here, Cloud! We need to talk!" No answer came, so the man cursed and continued along, thinking that maybe Cloud had already gone back to the top floor of the hotel, the area set off for the sponsors of the tournament.

When he reached the door, he began to knock but he heard an angry voice speaking that did not belong to Cloud Strife. His curiosity piqued, he leaned in to the doorknob and listened to the conversation. When he heard silence, he figured that their conversation was nearing an end and he would need to leave. It was just as well. He had gathered all the information he needed anyway.

'So,' he thought to himself, 'Cloud Strife is slowly gaining power by absorbing souls of those defeated by good. Sephiroth must be doing the converse, if I know anything about him. But who was he talking to? More mysteries to uncover, it seems. For now, though, I have the upper hand.'

The man smiled to himself and turned away to go find his own hotel room.


	15. Interlude: Worries

**Worries **

_By Opiate109_

The local bar, aptly titled 'The Soldier's Spirit', was unusually quiet, despite being at an all time high for customers. Nearly the entire populace of the bar was contestants in the tournament, as most had come here after the first round match, a match that was receiving mixed reactions. Many contest veterans hoped their matches wouldn't be as full of surprises, while some veterans hoped for the exact opposite, anticipating a much more exciting tournament. The group that was having the largest reaction, however, was the group of newcomers. Counting out a few exceptions, most of the contest rookies were currently in the bar, talking amongst themselves.

Lloyd Irving was one such individual. He had come here hoping for a fun experience and a bit of training. After seeing both contestants nearly kill each other, however, he was beginning to doubt the enjoyment he would get from the experience. 'Kratos doesn't seem phased by it... Ha, of course he isn't...' Lloyd thought to himself. If Kratos was worried, then Lloyd would be truly worried. Never once had his ally lost his composure, and seeing that happen would worry Lloyd more than any of these matches could.

Lloyd sat at a table with four chairs around it, all of them inhabited by newcomers. To his right sat Zidane Tribal, a friend of a returning contestant, Vivi Ornitier. Directly across from him sat Tifa Lockheart, an acquaintance of two of the judges. To his left was Rikku, who seemed to have just shown up uninvited. Lloyd didn't mind, however, as seeing more people in the same situation as him gave him some comfort.

"So... Zidane, where's that mage friend of yours?" Lloyd asked the question in hopes of breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Vivi? Oh, who knows? He could be anywhere, although he said he'd be here soon," Zidane replied, looking out the window. His view was obstructed by a window sized neon sign displaying the title of the bar, and a man dressed in modern soldier attire holding a mug of beer in his hand. While Zidane appreciated the cleverness of the sign, he was rather upset that he could not check to see if Vivi was coming.

Lloyd struggled to find words, hoping to keep the conversation rolling. However, he found no suitable comments and began to let his thoughts wander in the uncomfortable stillness once again.

The silence was broken only by a dull thud and some shameful chuckling from some of the contestants. Lloyd looked up to see Vivi fixing his cloak and hat in the doorway of the bar. Once the mage found everything in order, he slowly waddled over to Zidane.

"Hello," he said, in a partially muffled voice. Lloyd nodded politely, as did Rikku. Tifa continued to stare into her mug of beer as she had for the past half hour.

"Well, don't just stand there, have a seat," Zidane said, gesturing to an empty chair at another table, one of the few in the bar. Vivi walked over to grab it, only to see it pulled closer to another contestant at the table. Vivi looked up to see Ganondorf Dragmire grinning ruthlessly.

"Sorry, this seat's taken," said the warlock.

Vivi nodded and turned around. He was beginning to walk back to Zidane's table when he heard laughter coming from Ganondorf and the other contestant sitting with him. The small mage looked back to see Ganondorf and Bowser laughing at Vivi.

"Pathetic, to think we'll have trouble beating little kids. Those three are a little crazy sometimes," said Ganondorf, through his laughter. Bowser nodded at the comment. Vivi felt what seemed like a lump in his throat, as he struggled not to cry. This obvious attempt brought additional laughter from a few other bar patrons. Vivi looked around quickly and attempted to run out of the bar. In true Vivi fashion, he tripped, causing most of the bar to erupt in laughter.

"Shut up!" Zidane shouted in anger, standing up.

"Make me, boy," replied Ganondorf, also standing up. Zidane took little notice of the size of Ganondorf and proceeded to draw his weapons. Ganondorf reacted as he was expected and took a battle stance. Bowser stood up to join his drinking buddy. Seeing this, Lloyd also stood up and drew his own two blades.

The tension ran high as the four fighters stared at their opposing side. The bar was stuck in a deathly silence, not even the breath of the others could be heard. Ganondorf braced himself and Bowser inhaled, ready to exhale flames at any moment. Lloyd readjusted his grip on one of his swords and noticed Zidane did the same. Vivi stared on in silence, not even noticing he was in the middle of it all. Seconds seemed like hours, hours seemed like years, as the mute bar looked on with mixed emotions.

"There'll be no fighting here," said a voice that Lloyd was all too familiar with. Kratos Aurion walked in between the two groups. "There is no reason to unnecessarily shed any blood off the battlefield. Sit down, enjoy yourselves." He let this last statement hang in order to gauge reactions.

Lloyd and Zidane were the first two to sit down, followed closely by Bowser. Ganondorf stood for a moment longer, but finally sat down as Vivi finally stood up. Zidane got up and walked over to the black mage. The two left the bar in silence, with Kratos following close behind.

The next few moments passed in silence, until finally a slow murmur rose in the old bar. Lloyd was looking at Ganondorf's table, which was to his left. When he eventually looked back at his own table, he was shocked to see a red caped man standing behind Tifa. His skin was pale and his left hand was covered, or perhaps it was, a large metal claw. He recognized this man as Vincent, one of Tifa's friends. Tifa turned around slowly, clearly still thinking to herself.

"Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the seat that Zidane had just left. Vincent shook his head.

"No, Cloud wishes to see you," Vincent said. His tone was surprising to Lloyd, full of regret, not anger or malice as he had expected. Tifa nodded, and stood up quickly. The mention of Cloud had clearly awoken her from her glazed state. She walked right past Vincent, who was looking at Lloyd.

Lloyd stared back, and found himself wondering what the man could want. "Uh... What are you doing?"

Vincent still fixed his gaze upon Lloyd and answered back quickly. "You seem nervous," he replied.

"Of course I'm nervous! Did you see what happened today? That match…both of them were nearly killed!" Lloyd said, with much more volume than he had anticipated. "How do you deal with it? You've never been here before, but you're calm..."

"I've died before, or so they say. I'm not afraid of dying again..." Vincent seemed to trail off as he lost himself in thought. Lloyd had no idea what the man was thinking and he shook his head.

"Good luck to you in your match. Nice to meet you, Lloyd," said the man, nodding and turning to catch up with Tifa. Lloyd noticed that Vincent never once looked at Rikku.

"Do you... know that guy, or something?" Lloyd asked. He was clearly puzzled.

"We've met before. He and Auron seemed to be getting along, but he's avoided me ever since," she replied. She was also confused with Vincent's actions. "Do you know anything about Vincent!"

Lloyd shook his head at the surprisingly loud question. She frowned, but her attention was drawn to a slight chuckle from the stools in front of the actual bar. She scowled at the man who was laughing and intensified her expression even more when he stood up to talk to her.

Sephiroth, one of the three contest organizers, walked close to her. She had also met Sephiroth before, just after she met Vincent.

"So, you want to know about Vincent? It just so happens I have some knowledge of his past," said the grey-haired villain, with a sinister grin on his lips. "However, I warn you, it's not pretty."

"Just tell me why he called me Luc," Rikku demanded. She was still puzzled by his odd words.

"Luc? You imbecile, he wasn't calling you Luc, he was about to call you Lucrecia!" Sephiroth shouted, becoming surprisingly angry.

"Who was Lucrecia?" Lloyd asked, drawn into the conversation by Sephiroth's emotion.

"A lover, perhaps? She was many things to many people, most importantly, my mother," he replied, grinning sinisterly. Lloyd and Rikku were speechless. They were both too confused to talk at the moment.

"So, does Vincent...love Rikku?" Lloyd asked slowly, struggling to find the right words.

"Ha, possibly. Although I'm sure he hates her just as much. You remind him of her and that is not a good thing. Lucrecia was his love, yet she also symbolizes his failures. He couldn't stop her from leaving him, he couldn't stop her from sleeping with Hojo, and most importantly, he couldn't stop her from creating me," laughed Sephiroth. He then left so gracefully that it almost seemed as if he floated away, leaving the two newcomers stunned.

"I'm... confused," said Lloyd, scratching his head. He looked over to Rikku to see her looking into her lap.

"He...hates me? But, does he also love me?" Rikku questioned to herself, not realizing she was speaking out loud.

Lloyd was unsure of the answer. "Maybe it's neither. Maybe you just remind him of his past failures and that's something that he doesn't want to be reminded of."

Rikku got up, "I have to ask Auron!" She quickly walked out of the bar. Once outside, she took off at a run towards the hotel. Lloyd watched her leave but said nothing. He was still confused.

He stared into his now empty glass of soda, the only thing they would let him drink. He gestured for a refill and realized he sat alone. Just him and his thoughts, all his doubts and worries, all his questions. Lloyd wasn't much of a thinker, but tonight there were more than enough questions to keep his mind occupied. He slowly began to muse over some of the more prominent ones and realized he would be in the bar for a long time. Just a man and his thoughts.


	16. Ness vs Carl Johnson: Boy vs Man

**Ness vs. Carl Johnson: Boy vs. Man **

_By Alpha Anomaly_

Carl Johnson laid out lazily on his bed, flipping through the channels on his television, waiting for either some beautiful woman to come looking for him or the porn station to reveal itself. Whichever came first.

CJ had paid close attention to Mario's destruction of Joanna Dark earlier in the day and decided that he didn't want to face the same fate. After all, if a plumber could waste a top-notch espionage agent, then a boy and his bat could waste a gangster.

'No way can that little guy take this on. Guns will always beat out fuckin' baseball bats and yo-yos.' Johnson figured he had better just give up waiting and go to sleep, when a knock came at his door.

"Hey, Carl, I got somethin' for you!" a gruff voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Damn, I couldn't get a lady, had to be some stupid ass guy." Carl got up off his bed, agitated at the presence of a man instead of a voluptuous woman. Grudgingly, he answered the door to find Master Chief standing there.

"What the hell do you want, man?"

The Chief simply stared at him, confused by his irritable attitude towards the information he was about to receive. "You said you wanted this, so here you go," he said slowly, trying to gauge Carl's reaction as he said the words.

Luckily for Master Chief, CJ's attitude seemed to lighten with the information he had received. "Thanks, man, this should be cool. I definitely owe you one. Peace."

He quickly shut the door and fell back on his bed, trying to figure out how this disc worked. CJ looked around his small hotel room to find the laptop they had given everyone for recreation.

"Yeah, as if anyone wants recreation on a computer, lazy bitches," he said aloud.

The Grove St. gangster opened the top of the laptop and booted it up. He was almost surprised that he even knew how one worked. No one used computers in the ghettos of Los Santos.

"Alright, let's see what you can do, baby."

He popped open the tray, inserted the disc, and waited for something to happen. Soon enough, a program automatically booted up, and came up with the somewhat ominous title, "All the Information You Need to Survive."

"Ha, whatever, fool. My guns are all I need to survive."

CJ scanned through the list of names, intrigued by a few of them, particularly his own. He doubled clicked the icon reading, Mushroom Division 5th Seed: Carl Johnson.

A large picture of him came up next to his name, with a rating underneath it. "C? He gave me a C? Who wrote this dumbshit program, anyway? This damn fool has no clue who he talkin' about! Whatever."

He read through his short biography and was surprised to find even a list of preferred weapons that matched up perfectly with the small arsenal he had prepared for the match.

"This guy a stalker or some shit?" CJ asked himself. "I wonder…"

One would think that Carl would want all the information he could get on his opponent, but he scrolled right past the icon reading, "Mushroom Division 4th Seed: Ness" and instead rolled down to the icon that said, "Flood Division 6th Seed: Tommy Vercetti."

"Hmm, that otha' gangsta should get me some good info," he thought again. Surprisingly, he found that Vercetti came from his own dimension, down from Vice City, that he lived a bit before him, and that he should have been a nice aging old man in Carl's years over in San Andreas.

"Rated a C, eh?" Carl didn't really care, but his pride was hurt a bit that this gangster was considered a better one than CJ. It really didn't matter, though.

"Man, this is some heavy shit here. Glad I'll never mess with these fools."

----

The next morning, Ness was preparing himself for his battle with the gangster. He had his Psychic-Kinetic energy moves that should prove quite useful against the seemingly human man.

If those failed him, he could always rely on his trusty bat and yo-yo. Or even a good kick to the face. There were always plenty of resources at his disposal.

Ness suddenly realized that there were just twenty short minutes before the introductions began, so he gathered his belongings and headed out the door, making his way over to the stadium.

As the young boy from Onett strolled up the grassy path towards the looming arena, fans of all sizes crowded around and cheered him on, with a few in favor of Carl even booing him. Ness didn't mind too much. Everyone had a right to their own opinions, he supposed.

Ness finally made it up to the huge doors of the arena. The man accepting tickets took a look at him, smiled, and said, "Right on ahead, sir." The boy continued along and meandered along until he found his dressing room.

Upon entering, Ness checked the clock and found that he still had five minutes before introductions began. He quickly checked his backpack to find his bat and yo-yo lying faithfully in their pouches.

He then sat down and meditated for a few moments, trying to anticipate what Carl Johnson would throw at him.

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'I'm positive he'll be using mostly advanced weaponry; guns and rockets and the like. Hopefully there will be a few that my shields can withstand. My PK attacks should do well in most situations. If he gets close with knives, I can use my bat and yo-yo. Lots of possibilities. We'll see.'

With that concluding thought, Ness stood up and exited through the door, which led straight into the blinding light of day and his opponent.

-----

Carl Johnson had already arrived at the field and was waiting for his small challenger to arrive. The people around the metropolis had informed him that he shouldn't underestimate the boy, because of some of his strange powers, but CJ wasn't too worried. He had decked himself out in all of his best equipment, including stuff the poor kid had probably never even seen before.

As Ness stepped out of the shining light, he locked eyes with Johnson, and the two stood there, boy against man. Psychic against gangster. Without too long of a wait, a booming voice came out over the loudspeaker.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to day two of the Interdimensional Tournament! If any one of you thought yesterday's action was exciting, today will absolutely blow you away! In one corner, we have the young psychic boy from the land of Onett…Ness!" The announcer paused for the roar of applause, as the bpy was generally well-liked among the masses of the tournament.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand in the other corner, stands the gangster from the proud state of San Andreas. Say hello to Carl Johnson!"

The applause for Carl rang loud, but not quite as loud as for Ness. Apparently, innocent boys had the crowd support over gangsters.

"Now, Carl Johnson, being the lower seed in the division, will pick the battle terrain for today's match. Carl, decide on what you want and then inform our technical supervisors when you're ready."

CJ took only a minute to decide where he wanted to fight. He strode over to the booth where the Champions sat and spoke to Cloud.

"Yo, I wanna fight in Grove Street," CJ spoke curtly and concise. Cloud considered this for a moment, snapped to the directors of technology, and they took a few minutes to look up the exact layout of CJ's request.

After a brief conversation between Cloud and the director, the former champion turned to CJ and replied, "Alright, Carl, we can do Grove Street."

CJ simply nodded his understanding and strolled back to his place in the arena, waiting for his home street to appear. Soon enough, the stone of the arena floor was replaced by a long road ending in a large cul-de-sac. Unfortunately for Carl, the virtual replication did not include the Grove Street Families' gang members, but it did include several vantage points for gunfire and good cover behind cars and fences, giving Carl the upper hand for the most part.

"And with that, ladies and gentlemen, we are set to begin!"

A short ring indicated that it was time to start, and Ness and Carl both took off at once. Ness guessed at which direction Carl would sprint and fired a short PK Flash to try and catch him off guard. Unfortunately, he guessed wrong, as Carl immediately dashed to the left and ducked behind the nearest car he could find.

Ness began to charge up a PK Fire, but was too slow in doing so and had to dive out of the way as CJ began firing off his dual-sub machine guns at the boy. Ness continued in a dead sprint, followed by a trail of bullets. He desperately searched around for a solution to his problem.

His eyes darted around the Grove Street cul-de-sac and locked onto the fence leading into the backyard of one of the houses. Ness sprinted to about three feet away from the fence before leaping into the air. He used a quick burst of psychic energy to propel himself over the top, as a string of bullets sailed over his head.

Carl swore, and quickly reloaded his sub-machine guns before holstering them and pulling out two of the six or so Molotov cocktails he had prepared. He figured that Ness was charging some sort of attack behind that fence, and sure enough, one came. Ness had fired off a PK Thunder, some sort of lightning bolt attack that CJ didn't particularly want to feel the effects of.

Carl simply darted in a zigzag motion around the lightning attack, lit a Molotov, and tossed it over the fence, where he hoped Ness still lay. He guessed correctly, and the explosion came with a screech of pain from the unwary psychic. However, Ness got his revenge about two seconds later as the PK Thunder attack hit Carl square in the back, sprawling him out across the harsh asphalt. He had cut open his lip, but that wasn't the worst of his injuries. Dazed, Carl heard banging in the distance, reminiscent to the banging in his own head. Slowly, CJ drug himself up off the ground, trying to get his bearings once more.

Ness, slowly recovering from the shock of his burn wounds, climbed up and had a bright idea. He knew that CJ would take some time to recover from the PK Thunder, and as such, that gave him time to strike. He quickly gathered energy for a full PK Flash, and then held the charge as he grabbed his trusty baseball bat out of his backpack. Quickly, Ness batted one plank of the wooden fence out of its place, so that he would be able to hit it with the bat and it would swing up, much like the door to a Lamborghini sports car. Ness waited for the groans of CJ to cease, then sharply swung the bat down, crushing the wooden plank and driving it up, surprising CJ enough for Ness to strike.

The psychic wasted no time in spinning around through the opening and releasing the immense psychic-kinetic power he held. The small green dart flew true and went right for Carl's chest. Time seemed to slow for the gangster as he saw the dart coming, yet he was so taken aback that he couldn't do anything, as he helplessly watched the dart make its impact. He looked down, and that moment seemed to last for an eternity, as if it he energy was exploding in some sort of twisted slow motion time warp.

Time abruptly began running full speed ahead and the next thing CJ knew, he was being blasted through the air by Ness' powerful attack. He was blown back and landed hard against a pillar adorning the front porch of a house. Carl fell down to his knees, trying to regain both his breath and his composure.

'Damn, he caught me by surprise,' CJ thought to himself, gasping for every short, sweet breath he could get. 'Time to pull out the big guns, I suppose.'

CJ got up and scanned the area for the small boy. When he didn't find him anywhere on the street, he became more suspicious and ducked behind a nearby pile of trash before resuming his search. He knew one thing; he did NOT want to get hit with another attack like the last one.

CJ quickly checked his body and was surprised to find himself bleeding profusely from his left arm. 'Musta bashed it on somethin'. Oh well, it'll be fine for now.'

Carl resumed his search around the area for Ness. He pulled out his pistol, and his knife along with it. He crept out from behind his trash bag barrier and started to look around; on rooftops, a quick scan around the street, but not a trace of the psychic was found. He started down the steps that led back to the street area, but failed to check in the lowered space beside the stairs. Ness jumped out and swung his yo-yo around Carl's legs.

"What the fuck?" CJ yelled as he found himself being tripped and swung to the ground by Ness's surprise attack. He hit the ground hard on his shoulder and rebounded back into the air a few feet. Ness took the opening and crushed his bat into CJ's other shoulder, sending him back to the ground. Carl collided with the bat with such force that he slammed his head and injured shoulder right back where they had just bounced, nearly knocking him out from all the pain.

Carl lay dazed as Ness stood over him with his baseball bat in hand. He realized that if he didn't do something very quickly he could be knocked out and then this match would be over.

"Burn," Ness said calmly as he prepared a PK Fire, aiming straight at Carl's chest. Ness noticed movement over by the Champion's table and realized that Cloud Strife was getting up to come shake his hand. He looked over and confirmed it. Cloud was standing at the edge of the arena barrier, straightening his outfit, ready to congratulate the psychic from Onett. The match had been completely one-sided so far.

It wasn't over yet, though. Ness finished charging the PK Fire and turned to unleash its fury into Carl Johnson, but he never got that far. A gun blast went off before he could say the words and he felt a sharp pain tear through his arm. The hand that was supposed to unleash the PK Fire instead clutched his right shoulder, trying to suppress the pain.

Somehow, Ness knew that this arm was going to be useless for the rest of the match, as CJ had shot him right through his shoulder joint. Before Ness even had time to consider this, another gunshot rang out, sending Ness to one knee. Carl had shot out his right kneecap. 'Ugh,' Ness thought while writhing in agony, 'he's completely ruined one side of me…my good side. I can't run or use the bat like this.'

Carl Johnson crawled up and momentarily stared down at Ness writhing on the ground, Foolishly, he holstered his pistol. He knew that he had the upper hand at this point, and fully intended to utilize it.

'Ness thought he could roast me? Well, I'll show him what real roasting is like!'

CJ pulled out a nozzle from the pack attached to his back and pointed it at Ness's prone form on the ground. He reached around to the switch and flipped it, letting loose a jet of searing flame. Ness arched his back and writhed even more. He couldn't move out of the way because his gunshot wounds wouldn't allow him to maneuver very well. He had only one option.

CJ furiously burned Ness, trying to keep the flames going until Ness didn't move anymore, but suddenly, he heard the screaming figure yell out something coherent. "PK….MAGNET!" CJ didn't know what the hell he could be doing this time, but he got an idea pretty quick.

Ness had formed a solid barrier around himself as he finally felt the agony of the burns begin to soothe. He felt his charred skin slowly returning to normal as the gangster continued to feed flames into this strange shield.

Eventually, CJ noticed the rapid change in Ness's physical ailments. His attack had only been healing his opponent. He quickly aimed the nozzle away from Ness, as he could use the flamethrower in other ways.

First, Carl pointed the nozzle at the front porch and the dry grassy yard, encircling Ness in flames. Next, he showered the wooden supports and pillars holding up the deck in front of the two in searing flames.

Soon enough, the wood was burned away and the supports and pillars began to crumble. Carl turned around with a quick taunt to Ness, looking something like a non-verbalized "See you later" gesture. He quickly sprinted across the cul-de-sac and into his own house. CJ climbed the stairs three at a time, praying that Ness would still where he had left him when he got into position.

Sure enough, when he jumped out his bedroom window and crawled up onto the roof for the best vantage point, Ness was still trapped around the flaming pillars, which were growing slowly closer to him still. Ness was looking around desperately for a way out.

"Good, I gotcha now, punk," Carl smirked to himself as he readied his trusty rocket launcher. He propped the heavy weapon up onto his shoulder and took aim at the boy below.

Ness, still closed off by the flames, finally saw his exit, but he detected Carl's attack first. Escaping would have to wait. He knew what CJ was planning, and he would have no time to follow the procedure to get out of his cage of flames in time.

Ness held his good arm tight to his chest and concentrated his power as quickly as he could. He let loose a PK Fire just as Carl let loose a rocket. They collided about halfway between the two, letting off a huge explosion, although it was far enough away to spare harm to either contestant.

"Phew. Got that out of the way," Ness vocalized as he began his strategy to get out from the flames. First, he jumped as high as his tiny legs would carry him. He then concentrated his psychic energy into propelling himself as high as he could go. Finally, he unleashed a PK Thunder.

As the boy fell, he psychically aimed his projectile into his backside. Once he felt the energy behind in position, he opened his eyes to see a rocket flying straight for him. Hurriedly, the psychic concentrated his powers and aimed the ball of lightning just underneath himself. It connected not a second too soon, propelling him ten additional feet into the air, as the rocket blew up harmlessly on the ground beneath him.

Ness cushioned his fall with his mind and rushed into the house that Carl had taken over as his rocket launching nest. He bounded up the stairs before Carl could surprise him with another deadly blast.

'I'm going to end this hand to hand, as it should be,' Ness thought to himself as he raced up the stairway. When he reached the top, CJ ambushed him with a knife, and quickly pinned Ness against the wall of the upstairs bedroom. Ness held on to Carl's powerful forearm for dear life trying to keep from being impaled by the gangster's knife. This was made even more difficult by the fact Ness had only one good arm.

The two heard the announcer ring out, "Well, we can't see them inside that house, but I'm sure there's some heavy action going on in there!"

CJ sneered at Ness and jeered, "That's right little boy, there is some heavy shit goin' on in here, and it's no place for boys." With that, he pressed the knife further, until it merely an inch from Ness' face.

Ness replied to CJ in four syllables, but that was all that was needed to get his point across. "PK Thunder!" the boy yelled out as a jolt exited through his hands and straight into Carl's arm. The gangster was instantly thrown back into the wall, stunned.

Ness knew he had to finish this quickly and took out his yo-yo with his good hand. He limped over to where Carl stood against the wall and started to swing the yo-yo. The boy moved it in an "around the world" motion, sending it straight up into Carl's waiting chin.

Carl screamed out in pain as he felt his jaw break. He clutched his throbbing mouth with his hand and thought about where his guns could be, then realized with a horror that he had left them all on the roof. CJ stumbled around, dashed into the bedroom, and went through the window where he had been perched before. He knew that Ness was limping behind him, so he would have to be quick.

CJ looked over to where his rocket launcher lay, but he realized that he had no more rockets. Instead, he dove for his dormant pistol, waiting obediently for its master. Carl reached it, picked it up, and aimed for the window, but there was no one there. Suddenly, he noticed movement down below him, and looked at his feet to see Ness standing there, holding his baseball bat with his left hand, the yo-yo wrapped around it.

"Sometimes it's good to be small," Ness smirked as he swung the bat hard, his right shoulder screaming in pain as he gathered as much power as he could from the weakened arm. He connected hard with Carl's waiting ribs. Ness knew he had struck true, as he heard a sickening crunch and Carl's face go white with agony. The gangster from San Andreas crumpled over and fell off the roof, landing with another equally disturbing crunch. Ness knew it was over right then, but some were unsure.

The officials stood waiting at the other side of the Grove Street replica, and Ness tried to get their attention to wave them in, so they could get Carl out and heal his injuries. After CJ failed to move for another five minutes, they sent in the medical crew, who promptly propped the prone form up on a stretcher and carried him off.

"Your winner is Ness!" the announcer screeched into his microphone as the crowd erupted in support. When the Grove Street environment faded, Ness noticed Cloud Strife stepping up onto the platform and rushing over to congratulate him.

"Great fight, Ness. Very impressive," the soldier smiled as he grabbed Ness' hand and threw it up into the air triumphantly.

Cloud took a look over at the judges' table, happy to see that Sephiroth had a disgusted look on his usually placid face, while Link stared at him with his cold eyes, filled with contempt or maybe even anger. Cloud couldn't really tell, but he knew that any negative expression was odd for someone who had no involvement in the vast majority of the procedures.

'Maybe he knows more than I give him credit for. I'll have to find out exactly how much later on,' Cloud thought, as he lowered the young psychic's hand and walked off into his personal room.

As he sat on the bench, he considered what was going on. He looked down at his hands and could feel the power rush through him once again, much stronger than it was yesterday. "Now, if I can just keep this up," Cloud said, as he smiled and swung his feet up for a brief nap.


	17. Zero vs Ryu Hayabusa: Zero Hour

**Zero vs. Ryu Hayabusa: Zero Hour**

_By sephsblade_

_  
_Ryu. Last member of the Hayabusa clan. A feared warrior back in his homeland. His skills were formidable and his weapon, the Dragon Sword, was stronger then any other ninja blade. He had destroyed the Dark Dragon Sword, avenged his Father, and saved the love of his life many times.

But his opponents had always been human. This time, he was facing a machine. A machine that probably had no qualms about killing him. He knew next to nothing about his opponent, and that was a good way to get killed.

"I won't lose… For my Father, I won't lose."

The ninja looked around the empty locker room. He was prepared. He had his sword, an old weapon called a Vigoorian Flail, which was made of two bladed poles and far deadlier then any set of nunchakus, and his almost limitless supply of shurikens.

Apart from that, he had his strength, speed, and soul. For his sake, he hoped it would be enough.

----------

Sitting on the bench in his waiting area, Zero idly thumbed the switch of his energy sword. It was the only weapon he had and nearly as old he was. He would never have admitted it, but for some reason he found the green glow… comforting.

He almost wished to see X outside, along with Ciel. It would have been strange to see both of them together, and X in his own body on top of that. But he couldn't bring himself to envision Iris out there. Perhaps she had been dead too long… or perhaps she had never forgiven him.

"Hmph. I should be focusing on the fight, not something that happened a million years ago."

He started to walk up and down, pacing the room, before finally leaning against the wall near the door to the arena. What the hell was taking them so long? He didn't want to fight someone who was a hero to his own people, but he'd bet the "sponsors" would force them too in some way or another. They seemed to want this fights to happen. Even the kid with the pointy ears probably harbored a secret bloodlust.

Kid. Heh. How many people WEREN'T younger than him now? He should have been scrapped centuries ago. If it wasn't for the Mavericks, both reploids AND humans, who need to be retired he probably wouldn't be here today. The world needed a warrior and that's exactly what Zero was.

Finally, the announcer started talking. That was the indication to the competitors to come out the arena.

"Let's get this over with," the Maverick hunter muttered to himself.

---------

The two combatants came out and walked right over to the judges' table after their introductions. The applause died down quickly as Ryu was offered the chance to change the arena's terrain to his liking. He finally decided on the same set-up as the first match, that of the Grassy Maze.

This was a perfect fighting area for him. It was an enclosed space, there were plenty of walls to run across, and numerous ways to rush in from an unexpected direction and incapacitate an enemy before he or she even registered the threat. Perfect for the way of the ninja. 

WHHHHHRRRRRROOOOOOOOOO.

Zero barely heard the whine of his Buster sword as he charged up his weapons. Walking slowly down the corridors, he wasn't in the mood for hide and seek. He would let the human come to him, knock him out, and go on to win this stupid waste of time. The three idiots, staring intently from their area in the stands, sickened him as they watched the battle unfold with glee.

He hadn't heard his opponent yet. Surely Ryu should have found him by now, what with the tell-tale sound of his weapon charging.

Zero suddenly whirled around, bringing the Z-Saber up in a guard position, as the ninja charged him with his own sword in hand.

'My visual and aural sensors didn't catch anything, how good IS this guy-'

---------

Mega Man shook his head up in the audience.

"You always were too overconfident, friend."

Next to him, a very pretty blonde woman smiled slightly.

"Yes… but everything usually turns out fine for him in the end."

The Blue Bomber looked at her. Samus Aran, the greatest human bounty hunter the galaxy had ever seen. He had to keep reminding himself that she was far stronger than her appearance suggested. She had single-handedly wiped the Metroids from her world, not to mention take down the ruthless Space Pirates.

"He's already died twice…he really shouldn't push his lack too far."

Mega Man was itching to get down their and help his friend. Ironic, considering he was supposed to be the pacifist. He could see through the walls and ceiling areas of the maze, from his view they just shimmered in the clear air. Zero was parrying each sword thrust in frenzy of sorts. He obviously didn't want to use his Saber in case he killed his opponent and he couldn't get a clear shot with his buster. Mega Man could tell he was already getting very, very impatient, though.

The judges merely watched from their box silently. The robot couldn't understand what they were doing. The elf and the blond haired swordsman seemed like good people, yet if Mega Man had their power he'd be trying to stop all the fighting, not fueling it with this spectacle.

"…I'll NEVER understand humans," he said to himself, shaking his head sadly.

--------

Even with the advantage of surprise, Ryu found he couldn't get near enough to the robot to cause any serious damage. Zero moved with, well, let's face it, inhuman speed, and Ryu had resorted to just striking out wildly as fast as possible in order to keep his opponent on the defensive.

Well, if the Dragon Sword wouldn't work…

Ryu quickly sheathed the sword, and unleashed his flails, twirling them around in a display designed to intimidate the Maverick Hunter. It didn't really work.

Ryu lashed out, ready to twist the flails around the Hunter's grasp…and watched in dismay as the beamsabre cut through the weapons as if they were paper. Maybe the Dragon Sword was a better idea after all.

'I'm being beaten by a machine-'

And then there was pain.

--------

The Plasma shot threw Zero's fellow competitor against the walls of the maze. Dazed, he got up, keeping himself conscious through sheer will alone.

'Hmph. Maybe I should use the Z-Sabre after all…He's tougher then he looks.'

The ninja got up and, using the walls and ceiling as easily as the floors, charged again.

'Hey, whatever happened to ninjas hiding in the shadows?'

---------

Ryu dropped back down, attacking with renewed ferocity.

'It wouldn't do to lose and let Irene hear about this, right?'

He knew he couldn't beat a robot in a battle of pure speed and power. He would just have to outwit him.

Jumping back, he focused his energy as fast as he could, unleashing the power of ninpo that his father had taught him. As expected, Zero jumped up in order to avoid any ground attacks, dashing towards him while airborne.

"ART OF THE FIREWHEEL!"

The machine seemingly couldn't use his "dash" twice in the air. Perhaps whatever propulsion system he used had to recharge. The three fire balls that shot out circled the reploid and then slammed into him hard, dropping him to the ground.

'You're not invincible after all.'

He may have be down, but he was far from out. Jumping back up, Zero sliced downwards with his energy sword, sending a wave of power into Ryu. The ninja barely had time to use his ninpo as protection, as the attack sent the ninja flying into the granite walls of the maze.

The Maverick Hunter once again leapt up and brought his sword down onto the human. The color of the sword changed to a crimson red as he shouted "ENKOUJIN!" out loud. The attack barely missed, as Ryu quickly evaded it. He landed on the ground at least ten arm lengths away from the robot, determined now to keep his distance.

'Maybe I should try a long range approach instead…'

Ryu let loose with a throwing star at Zero, which connected with a crack. The second and third ones never met their mark, though, as they were stopped by a large green forcefield. The green energy barrier was then thrown like a discus at the shinobi, who barely avoid having his head separated from his shoulders.

'So, he can protect most of his body- but can he protect EVERYTHING at once?'

Taking out more of the shurikens, Ryu charged them up with ninpo energy. Assume a fighting stance, he turned to face Zero, who had already begun to move forward himself.

-------

Zero was stopped from dashing at his opponent by a torrent of shurikens. Annoyed, he deflected them all, each one harmlessly bouncing against the walls.

When the next batch came, he was ready. He jumped up, the dash accelerators propelling him just above the metal stars. Zero grabbed one of the missiles from its flight and immediately switched his weapon.

ZERO KNUCKLE ATIVATED - SHURIKEN-BASED WEAPONS ABSORBED. INFINITE SHOTS.

"Not bad," he muttered. "Not bad at all."

The third wave of ninja stars was wiped out by Zero's own. His new weapon might not be as powerful, but the firing rate was a hell of a lot better.

"Windmill Shuriken!"

Ryu's next attack was tricky. This new throwing star was larger and sliced right through the robot's counterattacks. It slammed into the reploid, knocking him head over heels, and then CAME BACK to knock him around some more, ending up with Zero being unceremoniously dropped onto the floor.

Getting up, he saw that the shinobi was focusing for a final attack. Zero tried to get up, but couldn't rise fast enough to stop him.

"Damn it! Sorry, but I'll have to use this. Bakuenjin!"

As soon as Zero said those words, Ryu replied with his own: "INFERNO!"

A wave of fire shot out from the human and met Zero's own attack about halfway. A sphere of pure energy collided with scorching flames. The two seemed to just hang in midair for a second before the reaction blasted apart a good chunk of the maze itself.

------

"WHAT THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE'S DOING?"

Mega Man stood up, gazing down at the floor of the battle arena. The maze had been decimated, shrapnel littering the area like confetti.

The ninja was on the floor. He was alive, but unconscious. Zero, on the other hand been buried underneath the collapsed walls of the maze.

Sephiroth seemed delighted at this. "Looks like that stupid machine destroyed itself…"

Link, who was idly leaning back in his seat, grinned as he stared down at the arena. "Spoke too soon, Sephy."

-------

Crawling out from under the debris, Zero looked around at the devastation he'd caused.

The ninja was alive, thankfully. He had seen better days, though.

It had been a foolish risk to take. If a Hunter had been under his command had activated an attack like that in an enclosed space, he would have thrown him out the door.

Zero gave the Blue Bomber a thumbs up while grinning, knowing it would annoy the little robot immensely.

Unlike the previous two matches, Cloud did not come down to the arena's floor to congratulate this match's winner. Instead, he just sat in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. He just stared at the battlefield and shook his head.

The reploid didn't need any sponsor's validation for his victory, though. He did a victory lap or two around the arena, much to the delight of the crowd. He then joined the medical team in the center and, after determining the ninja would be just fine, dashed off into his dressing room.

------

After the crowd began filing out of the stadium, a solitary figure stood with its back to the wall. HE was thinking how pointless all of this was when he suddenly felt a jolt of power. It felt like he had used some sort of power-up, as his power increased for no discernible reason. He stopped for a moment, stared at his hands, and then thought about it. The answer then occurred to him.

The man knew exactly what it was, although he was somewhat surprised by what it meant. "So," he said, amused, "it seems that I benefit from their little soul exchanging schemes as well. I wonder why? I'll have to look into this."

With that, he continued his path back toward the hotel.


	18. Lloyd vs Wesker: Fear and Loathing

**Lloyd vs. Wesker: Fear and Loathing in Grandis Somnium**

_By Daredevil3181 and Alpha Anomaly_

The vast majority of people had watched the tournament unfold with great interest. All the matches had been extremely exciting, managing to get the onlookers' blood boiling. Lloyd Irving, however, was not excited in the least. In fact, he had quickly grown quite bored. It only dawned on him just recently that his match was coming up tomorrow. And he was terrified.

"Nope, nope, nope. I won't go out there. Can't make me. Uh-uh," said Lloyd, gripping the bar so tight that his knuckles were white.

"Lloyd, what's wrong with you?" Kratos questioned as he put a half-comforting, half-authoritative hand on the young swordsman's shoulder. "What is that you're afraid of? It's certainly not Albert Wesker. You and I both know that Mithos was much worse than anything Wesker could pull off."

Lloyd turned to him, releasing his death grip on the edge of the table slightly, and replied, "Kratos, it's...it's not that I'm afraid of Wesker..." He trailed off as he seemed to lose confidence in the very words he was saying.

"Lloyd, just calm down for a minute, and tell me what's bothering you. I realize that I can only be so comforting to you, but you need to talk right now, because you're being ridiculous."

The overalls-clad warrior turned to Kratos with a pseudo-menacing look, and jokingly replied, "You jerk. Anyway, I think it's...I...it's just that I don't wanna go out there and make a fool out of myself in front of everyone. It's not like I fight every day back home anymore, you know."

Kratos sighed. "Stage fright, is it?"

"No…well, yeah…I dunno," Lloyd cried out, exasperated. "But the thought of me getting out there and doing something stupid. They'd all just laugh at me."

"Yeah, they will," Kratos said, confirming Lloyd's worst fears. "But when have you ever cared what other people think?"

"Since today!" Lloyd screamed, almost reaching hysterics.

"What seems to be the problem?" a new voice asked, as it made its way into the father-son chat.

"This idiot is throwing a fit because he's worried he'll mess up out there and everyone will laugh at him," Kratos answered. "And I don't believe anyone asked you to join in our private conversation here."

"I couldn't care less," countered Riku. "But when you talk so loud that practically the whole city can hear you, it shouldn't be a surprise that someone else wants to know what's going on."

"I can't do it!" Lloyd wailed.

"Hey, guys, keep it down over there!" the bartender yelled, apparently disrupted both by Lloyd's wailing and Kratos' heated discussion with Riku.

"Ooh, sorry to disrupt you from your intense job of cleaning glasses, I'll remember to get agitated quieter next time!" Riku jeered back to him. The bartender ignored the sarcastic comment and strode over to the source of the commotion.

"Hey, boy, what's your problem?" he asked, not in the kindest of terms.

Lloyd looked up at him, put his head back into his hands and wailed some more nonsensical ideas about not being able to do it and other sorts of gibberish.

Kratos kindly stepped in to Lloyd's aid and replied to the bartender, "He's just a little nervous, that's all." The finality of his tone seemed to imply that he would like the bartender to leave them be, but the man didn't catch on to that wish, apparently.

He continued to ask idiotic questions, which included some terrible advice, such as, "Maybe you should just imagine everyone in their underwear," and other equally moronic statements. Kratos finally spoke to Lloyd, grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up.

"Hey, whoa wait, what the hell are you doing, Kratos?" he asked, wildly thrashing around in the iron grip of the Seraphim.

"I'm taking you into the corner to beat some sense into you." He tossed Lloyd into the corner and knelt down, looking him straight into the eye. "Listen to me. Imagine the anger you had when you found out that the Desians were the cause of everything wrong in your life. Imagine again the hate that flowed through you and gave you reason to fight them. Imagine that tomorrow, and you will be no one's fool. Trust me, Lloyd."

"Well, OK, Kratos, if you say so," Lloyd resigned. "I'll…I'll do that."

"That's my boy," the angel said, forcing the smile that was creeping up on his face from getting too out of hand.

"Lloyd, we all have our secrets and demons," Riku said, once again bringing himself close to the two. "It's up to us to keep them in check and sometimes use them to our advantage."

"You seem so calm, though. I can't imagine you having any problems," Lloyd observed.

"You couldn't be farther from the truth. My heart is filled with darkness. I can accept that now. I've just learned to control it, is all. Never again will it get the best of me, that I swear."

"OK, it's time for you to get some rest," Kratos ordered. "A good night's sleep will do you good, Lloyd. In the morning you'll be able to put all this silly worrying behind you. I'm sure of it."

"Alright," Lloyd said, sheepishly. "Night Riku. Night everyone!" He then hurried off back to the hotel.

"Like father, like son," Riku laughed.

"Oh, shut up," said Kratos, a scowl on his face.

---------

Albert Wesker had been waiting in the hotel's lobby for the better part of an hour, but it made no difference to him. He'd wait there until morning if he had to. Impatience was a fault of the weak and Wesker was anything but weak.

'He'll come eventually,' Wesker thought. 'I know he went to the Soldier's Spirit. Just a matter of time.'

The former STARS officer's patience was rewarded when the jittery swordsman bounded through the door. He looked a bit paler than Wesker remembered, but this didn't concern him in the slightest. It was a merely an observation that the man added to his already huge internal catalogue of facts and figures.

"Lloyd!" Wesker called out, faking a smile. "You look like you've seen a ghost, m'boy!"

"Oh, yeah…" Lloyd began, his eyes darting around the room. "Wesker right? Hey…I fight you tomorrow!"

"Yeah, but why should that get between us?" Wesker chuckled. "I just came down to have a little drink and wish you good luck."

"Oh, thanks!" Lloyd exclaimed, his face beaming. "Hey, I promise to go easy on you tomorrow!"

"I'm sure you will," Wesker said. "Put 'er there!" He then thrust his hand out at the youth, hoping for a good shake.

Lloyd obliged and enthusiastically gripped Wesker's outstretched hand. Suddenly, his pupils dilated and he pulled his hand back in shock.

"Ouch!" he whined. "Something stuck me!"

"Really?" Wesker asked, feigning ignorance. He then stuck out his own hand. "My, my, look at these nails. I really should cut them. I'm starting to resemble a cat. Quite sorry about that."

"It's nothing," Lloyd shrugged. "It's not like you meant anything by it. Well, I'm off to bed!" He then hurried off to the elevator.

"But what if I did mean something by it?" Wesker whispered to himself, his face creeping into a sinister smile. "What then?" The bioengineer then laughed to himself as he flung something small and silver at a nearby plant. It was a needle no bigger than a safety pin.

"I do so love guinea pigs," the sinister man breathed. "Especially when they're as dumb as you are. Then I don't have to feel so bad about keeping certain traits out of the gene pool." With that, the man calmly headed for the stairs, which would lead him back to his own room.

--------

The next morning, Lloyd dragged himself out of bed, woozy, yet feeling better about the impending battle. He looked at the flashing green light reading 9:30 and shook himself awake, while slamming his left hand down on the device, stopping the excruciating beeping noise from continuing.

Pulling on his scabbard, he picked up his two Material Blades. Staring back at him were the two swords, the greatest work of his dwarven adopted father. One was a bright shining red, the other a fiercely glowing blue.

"Both of my Dads have helped me so much along the way. On my quest of revenge against the Desians, on the quest to stop Mithos, and even just getting around in my life," Lloyd reminisced to himself. "But today, I'm on my own. I'm facing Wesker all by myself, and no one will be there to help me."

Lloyd sank to his knees, fleetingly questioning his ability to continue as he had done the night before. But he recalled Kratos' words to him in the bar. He remembered his advice and took it to heart, recreating the pain and anguish that flooded throughout his body when he discovered that the Desians had transformed his mother into a horrendous beast. He recreated that anger in his mind, the fury that swept over him while fighting Kvar and Magnius.

"I will destroy Wesker. I have to!" he exclaimed to no one in particular. With that, he gathered his belongings and headed out the door.

--------

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the fourth day of action, as we wrap up the exciting Mushroom Division!" the announcer excitedly proclaimed as the crowds filed into the enormous stadium, ready for the battle to come.

"Today, fans, we have the second seeded Lloyd Irving facing off against the seventh seeded Albert Wesker! Seeding be damned, we should have a fantastic match on our hands!"

The stone-faced Wesker already stood at his place on the cool stone flooring, observing his surroundings. Nothing could go wrong, especially not after his little "gift" to Lloyd was ready.

A few minutes before the scheduled beginning of the match, Lloyd lumbered out of his locker room door and into the fresh air of the arena. Thousands of cheering and screaming fans awaited his impending arrival, and almost immediately Lloyd felt sick to his stomach. 'I can't do this! I can't do this!' he thought, panicked.

High up in his place in the stands, Kratos looked worriedly at the young swordsman. "Oh no," he said to himself, "it's happening again. Be strong, Lloyd."

Before Lloyd had a chance to turn and run away, the booming announcer roared into his microphone, "Lloyd Irving has arrived, ladies and gentlemen!"

Lloyd looked up at the stony visage of Wesker and took in a deep breath. 'It'll all be okay. Just remember what Kratos said, it'll all be fine,' he thought to himself.

"As the lower seed in today's match, Albert Wesker will have the opportunity to choose today's terrain. Wesker, make your choice and report it to the Champions."

For a long time, Wesker made no impression that he had even heard the announcer. Finally, he slowly inched his head to the left, as if counting the squares of stone on the floor of the arena. When he reached the farthest point he could turn his neck, he began to slowly turn it over to the right side. After he had his fill of the right side of the arena, he began a slow, yet determined, step towards the Champions' table.

When he reached it, a beaming Cloud looked up at him and awaited his response. His huge smile faded the longer Wesker took to decide. Eventually, Wesker calmly spoke, "There will be no necessary changes in the arena terrain. This will do. Besides, this won't take long." With that, he walked back and resumed his previous position.

Cloud frowned after him, but turned to the technical director, who was puzzled by Wesker's decision, yet obeyed, and relayed the message to the announcer's booth.

"Not short of confidence, ladies and gentlemen, Wesker has elected to leave the terrain the flat stony surface that it is! This should be good!" the announcer exclaimed once more.

Cloud motioned Lloyd to pick a side, who quickly chose the one closest to the Champions' table. With that, a large bell rang to signify the beginning of the match.

'I have to get this started quickly and end it quickly,' Lloyd thought to himself as he drew the Material Blades and rushed at Wesker, who simply stood still.

Lloyd brought one blade crashing through the air, yet found nothing but air as Wesker deftly dodged his strike and ducked underneath the second sword, which also whistled harmlessly overhead. He made a final dodge as he jumped over the slash of both at the same time.

Upon landing, Wesker connected his palm straight into Lloyd's chest, thrusting him back. "You're going to have to do better than that, boy!" he jeered as Lloyd nursed his sternum.

"Take this, Wesker!" the swordsman clad in red exclaimed as he rushed once more, this time feigning a strike with one sword which Wesker began to dodge before he timed the second sword to be right where Wesker came to rest, and he aimed true. After the first strike found flesh, Lloyd immediately erupted into a flurry of sword strikes, jabbing Wesker at least fifteen times before the bio scientist was able to put an end to the strikes.

"Like it, buddy?" It was Lloyd's turn to jeer. "I call that my Sword Rain. I got another one for you too, so come and get it!"

Wesker, the stony expression on his face as if it was carved from a glacier, began a sprint towards Lloyd, raising one arm back as if to land a crushing punch to his opponent's face. Instead of following through with his apparent attack, Wesker surprised the swordsman by bringing his opposite leg up and crashing it into Lloyd's ribs. The youth rolled with the impact and landed back on his feet, gasping for air and clutching the side of his chest.

Wesker wasted no time in continuing his strikes, and suddenly Lloyd was doubled over in pain. 'Must be feeling the effects pretty bad. Poor kid,' Wesker thought, as he prepared to level Lloyd. He never got that far, however, as Lloyd drove his shoulder into Wesker's stomach and with a cry of the word, "Beast!" erupted the man backwards. The former STARS officer spun through the air and landing face-first on the hard ground.

Very calmly, the man pushed himself to his feet, seemingly unfazed. There was some mark of damage, though. Wesker's trademark sunglasses, the ones he had been wearing ever since he had arrived at the tournament, were broken. One lens was completely obliterated and Lloyd could see the man's stunning yellow cat eye staring right back at him. Wesker put one hand up to his sunglasses and, after confirming they were indeed broken, took them off and threw them against one of the arena's walls.

A scowled spilled over Wesker's face as Lloyd hardly heard him whisper, "That…was pretty good, kid. But no more."

Lloyd suddenly felt his body jerk uncontrollably as he struggled to hold on to his swords. Every time he thought the spasms would calm down he was proved wrong as his body danced around as if in some macabre ballet. Lloyd was terrified as the crowd didn't know what to make of this.

"Why…can't…I…move…?" Lloyd croaked.

"Oh, that?" Wesker replied, completely in control. "Remember that little prick you felt when we shook hands the other night? You probably don't, seeing as how stupid you are, but I'll tell you more anyways. I injected you with a bit of my experimental T-virus. Oh no, don't worry, it won't make you sick. It just makes sure that I can control your nerves. And right now, I want them to make you dance."

Lloyd involuntarily dropped his swords and began prancing around like a little child. Wesker just stared at the young man as the crowd found this extremely amusing. They began to take all this in and laugh, further increasing Lloyd's terror.

"You monster," Kratos muttered underneath his breath. "Just get it over with if you want to beat him already. Don't humiliate him, though. No one deserves that."

After a minute or two more of these idiotic movements, Lloyd came to a stop. He slowly was inching his way closer to his dropped weapons. Wesker observed this with an expressionless mask.

"Trying to fight the effects, hmmm? No matter. You have no chance."

Lloyd's hand was shaking as it reached out for one the Material Blades.

"Come to me," Wesker ordered the swordsman, as he cracked his knuckles. Still under the T-virus' influence, Lloyd was forced to obey as his feet betrayed him.

Wesker wasted no time in delivering a hard right hook to Lloyd's face. Before his opponent could fall down, Wesker grabbed him and brought his knee up into Lloyd's stomach. He then picked him up and threw him down hard.

Lloyd was wheezing for air as Wesker lifted up his foot and brought it down on the youth's breastbone. He moaned in pain as the sinister man sat his knees down on Lloyd's already strained ribs and proceeded to alternate punches to his face, determined to knock him out. Finally, the youth stopped moving as Wesker halted his assault.

"There, it's over," Wesker said.

"No…it can't be," Kratos said, sorrow in his voice.

'Am I…am I dead?' Lloyd asked himself. All around him was pure, white light. Nothing else was in this barren place.

"The medical team might want to have a look at him," Wesker said, as he turned and faced a stern-faced Cloud.

"Get up, Lloyd. Get. Up," Kratos said, hoping that his son could somehow hear him.

'No, I'm not dead,' Lloyd said to the light. 'But I have been beaten. How could this happen?'

"Stop this, Lloyd!" Kratos yelled at the boy's prone form. "Stop playing around. This isn't a game!"

'But I can't beat him with this virus in me,' Lloyd told the light. 'He'll just force me to stand still as he punches me again. After all I've done for my world…how could this be the end of me?"

"Hold on, sir," the operator said to Cloud. "The boy appears to be moving a little." Cloud squinted his eyes and he could just see a shudder running through the swordsman's form.

"Spoke too soon, Wesker," Link said, as he rolled his eyes.

"A problem I will soon remedy," Wesker explained, as he slowly marched back over to Lloyd.

'You say you'll help me?' Lloyd asked the light. 'Give me your power? Then please! I have to show my father that I am not weak.'

As Wesker was walking toward the body it suddenly began to pulse with a radiant white light. The bioengineer looked quizzically at the power that was now coursing through Lloyd's veins. He was even more surprised when the young man got up and grabbed his swords.

"Stand down, boy!" Wesker yelled at him. "You'll do what I say, when I say!"

"I don't think so," Lloyd said, in a cold tone. "And don't call me 'boy'. You're NOT my father."

"That's my boy," Kratos smiled to himself. "Now give him heaven."

Everything appeared to Lloyd as if he were looking down a well, like the world was miles away. The thunderous crowd had never been louder at the sight of the brilliant angelic wings that had appeared, glowing blue and shining in the bright sunlight. Lloyd was completely at ease, as the feelings of fear that had scared him so badly earlier were gone.

The colorful stadium and bright blue sky may as well have been a blank canvas, featureless and unpainted, to Lloyd. All he could see through his blinding rage was Wesker. The tall figure that looked as if he had been carved from rock was all that mattered to the angelic figure at the moment.

'He made a fool of me, tried to beat me down by humiliating and controlling me, by hiding behind his T-virus. He's done this before, I can tell.' Lloyd stood up straight, staring at his adversary. He knew that Wesker would not try anything rash, as he was a calculating man and wouldn't attack without knowing what he was up against.

'Wesker is an evil man, who wishes harm on others without reason. He isn't even sacrificing for a cause, like Mithos or the Desians. All he wants to do is cause strife for the joy of it. I cannot allow that to happen,' Lloyd told himself, as he crystallized his intentions and brought himself out of his reverie.

"Wesker, I cannot allow this to go on any further," he simply stated, determination in his voice.

Lloyd spread his gigantic wings and gave them a might flap, hovering a foot or so above the ground. He drew the Material Blades once more and sent himself flying right at Wesker with his angelic power.

Wesker managed to throw himself out of the way of Lloyd's furious strike, but he couldn't dodge the successive blows that followed. The last thing he heard before the pain of fire and ice blinded him was his opponent's cry of "Fierce Demon Fang!"

His body badly mangled from the flame and frost, Wesker finally realized that Lloyd was infused with the power of some sort of spiritual being and was being driven by rage, a very dangerous combination.

'I am a mere man of science,' Wesker thought to himself. 'Angels and devils are not for people like myself to be concerned with. This is something that would be better handled in the realm of philosophers.'

In a last ditch effort, he reached out with his power and once again tried to take control of Lloyd with the modified T-virus. His efforts were in vain, as the immense power surrounding the swordsman totally blocked Wesker's efforts. Something about his holy appearance blocked the T-virus, and when it failed, Wesker knew he was done for.

Lloyd decided that he should finish things off quickly, and flapped his wings hard, rising high into the air. He then gathered all of his energy behind him and propelled himself at Wesker. The ever-emotionless figure simply stood there, as he had totally resigned himself to his fate. Without a sound, Wesker was impaled straight through by the two Material Blades. The swords went through his stomach and out his back, leaving a huge gaping hole and snapping his spine in the process.

Wesker locked eyes with the youth, a stunned expression on his normally impassive face, then fell to the ground, twitching. Lloyd pulled the blades out of Wesker, drenched with blood, and stood staring at the once honorable S.T.A.R.S. captain, who was now burned, bloody, and motionless. He looked less like a man than he ever had. His body was horribly mutilated from the burns and frostbitten marks that now adorned it, causing him to resemble a corpse rather than a man.

"Evil will always persist. I've learned that now, but I've never seen someone who's as ruthless as this man," Lloyd said to himself, as he turned his head from the horrifying figure, his immense rage finally subsiding. He began to walk over to Cloud when he heard a harsh scraping sound.

It was Wesker. Now no more than a disgusting chunk of flesh, his opponent was weakly scratching at the stone floor, pulling himself closer to Lloyd using only his fingertips. He had a deranged look in those yellow eyes of his as they were fixated on Lloyd's ankles.

"Still…not…over…" Wesker managed to say, his voice raspy and rough on the ears. "The…immortal…can't…die…"

Lloyd observed the scene with a look bordering on pity. After watching the man drag himself another few inches, he could stand it no longer. Lloyd picked his foot up over his head and in one smooth motion brought it down hard on the middle of Wesker's back. There was a groaning sound as the stone floor gave way, burying most of Wesker underneath a foot of rock. Wesker's hands still twitched, but he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The judges conversed among themselves for a while. It seemed Sephiroth and Cloud were in the middle of some heated argument. Link waited for the voices to reach a more normal level before stating his own opinion. Begrudgingly, Sephiroth nodded and Cloud leaned back and whispered something to the announcer.

"And it seems that the judges have made a ruling!" The announcer cried. "By a unanimous decision, Lloyd Irving is the winner of today's match!"

The crowd cheered for the swordsman, as his angelic power began withdrawing inside of him once more. He meekly waved to the roaring crowd. Although he might not ever completely get over his stage fright, at least he was making progress. Kratos just nodded. He couldn't have been more proud of the boy.

-------

"You failed," Sephiroth said to the ravaged body, malice in his voice. "Even after I allowed you access to the lab here to continue your work, you still failed me."

"Spiritual…power…too…great…" Wesker croaked.

"Oh, can it," Sephiroth spat. "I don't care what happened. All I know is that his soul should have been mine. Coming out of this division I will end up at a complete disadvantage to the other two."

"It…seems…you…failed…" Wesker weakly smiled. Suddenly the man arched his head back as something translucent seemed to leave his body and float off somewhere.

"He now has your soul," Sephiroth observed. "It will probably be used in the pursuit of something 'noble' or 'kind'. I know the feeling will be an eternal agony and punishment to your twisted spirit, but you deserve worse. All things considered, I'd say you got off easy."

Wesker only moaned, as a vacant look had entered his eyes. He was still alive, if you could call that twisted existence he lead a life, but there was something missing. The mangled body had no more purpose any more. It was merely there.

"Irene," Sephiroth spoke into the intercom.

"Yes, sir," a contra-alto voice answered back.

"Please come to retrieve Mr. Wesker" instructed Sephiroth. "Our medical facility can do no more for him here. Send him through the portal to his own dimension, whether they want him back or not."

"Yes, sir," Irene said obediently.

Sephiroth didn't wait for the girl to arrive. He merely left the room, brooding to himself. 'Only four days into this tournament and already I fall behind. This is quite unacceptable. If this keeps up any longer I might have to take a more active hand in the proceedings.' He then stormed out of the medical area, heading back to his hotel suite to devise a plan that actually had a chance of succeeding.


	19. Samus vs Yuri: Hell Hath No Fury

**Samus vs. Yuri: Hell Hath No Fury Like a Samus Scorned**

_By Daredevil3181_

"Oooh! That's the spot…right there!" the blonde woman groaned.

"Wow, you're really tight," a male voice observed.

"Yeah, well, my last training session was brutal," the woman explained. "Six whole hours of running around, rolling up into a little ball, and then mastering the fine art of blowing various aliens to pieces. I think I deserve a little break."

"I suppose everyone's entitled to one at some point," the man laughed. "Unfortunately, my hands are starting to cramp up."

"Awwww…so soon?" said the woman, as she blinked her eyes in a mock seductive manner. "You do have such magic fingers, though."

"Samus!" yelled the man, his voice full of fake anger. "You shouldn't act like that around us unsuspecting guys. You might not be able to handle the results."

"Is that so, Mr. Freeman?"

"Yeah, pretty much," laughed Gordon, no longer able to keep a straight face at the absurdity of the situation. "So, have you checked out the disc and examined your Chozo suit weapons?"

"I glanced at the disc enough to know what I'll be going up against," Samus said. "He has shape shifting powers and appears to take on the forms of various demons. I couldn't match up anything exactly to it the training simulator, so I just programmed in various aliens. I destroyed them all without too much of a problem. Besides, he's only a C-minus…no match for an 'A' girl like me."

"How's the suit holding up?" smiled Gordon, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Never been better," Samus humored him. "I check it every morning and night no matter how much or how little I've used it."

"Join me for a quick trip down to the hotel bar?" Gordon asked, hoping the woman would accept the offer.

"Sorry, tough guy," Samus replied. "I'm exhausted and I believe a good night's sleep is in order. But ask that Rikku girl. I think that airhead should be just your type."

"Hardy har har har," Gordon said, dryly. "Alright, your 'Highness'. Get out of here before I kick your sorry butt to the curb."

"I'd like to see you try," chided Samus. "Anyways, thanks for the massage, Gordon. I owe you one. Maybe I'll take you up on that drink offer after my match is over." With that, the bounty hunter grabbed her white t-shirt and left the room. She had taken it off for Gordon's massage, as he promised he could work his technique better if there wasn't any cloth separating his hands from her skin. He half-jokingly asked her to take off her black sports bra as well, but to that she replied with a sharp kick to the scientist's shins.

As Gordon watched the attractive woman slink out the door, he had just a little smile on his face. He remained in this idiotic pose for a good minute or so before he realized that he had forgotten to breathe. Taking a glorious gulp of fresh air, the tech man simply shook his head, trying to bring himself back to reality. 'Snap out of it, Gordon. It'd never happen. Besides, she just thinks of you as a friend.'

Resigning himself to this fact, Gordon fell back on to his bed and turned on the television. 'I wonder if there's anything cool on The Learning Channel?'

-----

"System is ready for observation, Mr. Hyuga. Please commence whenever ready," the electronic voice instructed the Harmonixer.

'Here goes nothing,' the occupant thought to himself. He placed his hands together and envisioned the fusion he wanted to become next.

Suddenly he grew taller and was coated in a tough suit of armor.

"3.67 seconds."

He then switched from his fire form into its polar opposite.

"5.86 seconds."

Not satisfied, Yuri brought himself back to his normal form.

"2.69 seconds."

Thinking to himself for a little bit, he clasped his hands together and recalled his previous form.

"3.42 seconds."

Yuri then returned to his human self once more. 'I was right,' he thought. 'I shift faster when going from a human to a fusion and then I do from a fusion to a fusion. I'll have to remember that when I go out there tomorrow.'

"OK, computer, that's enough. Terminate the program."

"Program has been disengaged. Have a good evening, Mr. Hyuga." The door to his training cell then opened into the main hub. Yuri grabbed a towel hanging on the wall before he walked out. In addition to the quarter-inch of sweat that was now coating his body, he was also wearing a now damp black wife-beater and a pair of tight black pants.

"It seems someone was here late," a sweet voice commented as Yuri walked toward the exit.

"I could say the same about you," Yuri said, his mouth in a smirk. "My match is tomorrow. What's your excuse?"

"Couldn't sleep," the young woman replied. Yuri looked less than convinced at her words. "OK, that and I need to be prepared with everything I have if I want to defeat Ganondorf."

"That piece of crap?" laughed Yuri. "He just talks the talk, but I bet when it comes down to it, he's about as tough as that little foul-mouthed squirrel."

"I wish that were so," Yuna sighed. "But I have a feeling he's a lot stronger than he's let on."

"Maybe so," said Yuri. "But at least you don't have to face the top seed in the division. I've been working my butt off for the past day."

"Have a master strategy then?" wondered Yuna.

"Not really," Yuri answered, his eyes going toward the floor. "I'm not one for devising brilliant plans anyways…not like that guy Alucard. I prefer to think on my feet. I was just making sure that I could transform fast enough to counter anything Samus throws at me."

"Hopefully it's paid off," Yuna said, not taking much stock in her words.

"We'll see," Yuri laughed. "By the way, where are the two blondes and the brunette you hang out with?"

"You ass," Yuna chuckled. "The three of them called it a night ages ago. They wanted me to go with them, but I told them I still hadn't trained as much as I could have." The summoner then hesitated. "Do you…do you think you could escort me back to the hotel?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem," Yuri said. "I'll keep you safe from all the 'bad people' out there."

"Present company excluded, right?"

"Of course," said Yuri. "Let's get the hell out of here before the sun comes up, alright?" The two then exited the training facility and raced back to the hotel.

------

"Are you ready to ruuuuummmbblllee!" asked the announcer, firing up the crowd. "The Mushroom Division is now over, but that doesn't mean the fun has to stop! Today is the first day of the Zebes Division and I wouldn't be surprised if it was crazier than the last one!"

Samus blocked out the idiotic voice for as long as she could. As soon as she heard her introduction, she trudged out of the locker room and locked eyes with the Champions from underneath her helmet. Yuri sidled up right next to her, decked out in his fancy black jacket with the puffy sleeves at the end.

'He looks like an idiot,' Samus thought.

"Yeah, let's see what we can do today," Yuri said, with a confident swagger. "How about a graveyard area? Yeah, that would be good. Set that one up, you guys."

The operator was a bit taken back with the rudeness of the man's tone, but he did as he was told. In seconds, a graveyard with tombstones and a few holes appeared where the smooth floor of the arena floor once stood.

"Think you can handle it?" teased Yuri, staring straight at Samus. "Don't worry. If you get scared, you can also get out of that suit and hang on to me. I'll protect you."

"You just worry about your own protection," spat Samus, making no move to hide the disgust in her voice. "I choose to start on the side with the majority of the headstones."

"Nothing like an early death," Yuri laughed. "This must be an omen." Before Samus could give the Harmonixer a piece of her mind, he was already running off to the opposite side of the eerie terrain.

Samus merely stared at him with ice in her veins. 'As soon as this fight starts he is so dead.' Just then, the announcer signaled the match had begun.

'I am so dead,' thought Yuri, as he saw the bounty hunter racing at him, arm cannon level with his head. 'But at least she can't accuse me of not being funny.'

Samus wasted no time in firing a few shots at her opponent. Yuri quickly rolled to the side. Like it or not, this match was well underway. Now it was time for him to do his thing.

Just like the previous night, Yuri clasped his hands together and let his human form fade into one of his beloved fusions. It happened so fast that Samus was caught unawares as the huge beast materialized where her apparently mortal opponent once stood. This beast had spikes on its back and was a rocky brown color, sporting giant hands encircled with some type of silver gauntlets.

"Gaudion!" the creature screamed, as it brought its fists up and then down again into the loose soil. The shockwave slammed into Samus and sent her spinning. She quickly stabilized herself in the air and switched her arm cannon into missile mode. Taking aim, she fired a barrage at the hulking beast.

"GRRR!" Gaudion cried out, as it swatted at the projectiles coming at him. They exploded all around his body, but they hadn't caused much damage aside from a few bits of his rocky exterior being chipped off. Thinking this woman could no longer pose any threat, he lumbered closer to her, only to come face-to-face with a sleek silver missile.

'Gotcha!' Samus thought, as her super missile connected with the creature, causing a massive explosion. She had goaded it into a false sense of security with her normal missiles, which she knew would have little effect. She pleasantly watched as the monster vanished, replaced by the human Yuri once again.

"Damn, woman!" he called out. "A little easy with the explosives please? Geez!" Wasting no time to see her reaction to the comment, he brought his hands together to call out his next fusion. This time he took the form of a four-winged demon, just hovering in the air.

Libertis unfurled its wings into their full span. Samus immediately backpedaled, and it was a good thing too, as blades of air sliced into the ground she had been standing over just moments before. The thing shrieked as it swooped down on the bounty hunter.

Samus quickly tucked herself into a ball and rolled just underneath the creature's assault. Libertis took to the sky and then circled back around again, once more reaching out to rend the woman apart. Samus was ready for it this time, as she ducked into her ball once more. She added one other addition, though, as she released three blinking bombs. With no time to stop, the fusion barreled right into them, setting off a mini chain of explosions.

The Metroid hunter smiled to herself, but not for too long. The creature wasn't hurt, just dazed. It shook its head and then again blasted air blades at Samus. She raced out of the way, only to slam into a merciless cyclone.

'Should have seen that coming!' Samus berated herself. She looked over to the winged beast only to discover that it was changing yet again. It touched down on the ground once more. Its body was covered in armor and it wielded a giant sword. Yuri had decided to unleash Fides next.

The new fusion laughed a guttural sound as it advanced on the helpless woman. It raised its sword over its head, as fire raced up along its blade. Her opponent was determined to end this in one fell swoop.

'Get yourself together!' Samus yelled at herself. 'You need to get out of here!' She tried and tried, but no matter what she did, she couldn't stop herself from spinning. 'Wait, that's it! If I can't halt the spinning, I can use it to my advantage!'

Samus tucked herself into a ball once more. Spinning around with the power of the cyclone, she worked herself closer and closer to its outer edges. When she had gathered enough momentum, she let loose with her own attack just as Fides crashed down with its sword. He hit nothing but air, though, as Samus had worked herself under his arms and right into his armor. With devastating power, she unleashed her screw attack, causing the fusion to stagger backwards in pain.

"You seem to like fire!" Samus yelled, pulling out of her spin. "How about a little ice!" She switched to her ice beam and fired the numbing cold into a few areas of exposed flesh. Rather than freezing like her normal enemies, this one merely clutched its sides in pain before falling down.

"OK, OK! No more!" Yuri shouted, as he sunk to his knees in defeat, human once more.

"Really?" asked Samus.

"Hell no!" Yuri laughed, slashing at the woman with a huge knife that materialized along with his next fusion. Samus barely moved to the side in time, as the blade sliced into the edge of her shoulder joint, causing sparks as it passed.

Yuri had now transformed into a winged creature that was of the purest black. Its wings were spread open, trying to intimidate the woman. "Somnium will take care of you!" it growled.

"I don't think so," Samus spat, as she let her arm cannon erupt into a ring of fire. Somnium was caught off guard by the attack, but it reacted quickly. Bringing its blade down on to Samus' weapon, it was able to redirect her flames harmlessly overheard.

The creature was now so close to her that she could feel its cold breath on her visor. It merely smiled wickedly at her with an almost nondescript mouth. They held that pose for a good five seconds before it inched itself ever closer to her and whispered, "Darkness…"

Samus was suddenly encased in an impenetrable globe of blackness. She had no idea which way was up or down any more, let alone left or right. Assuming a defensive posture, she readied herself for anything.

Suddenly, she felt a hulking form slam into her from behind. Samus hit the ground hard, but got right back up again. As soon as she regained her footing the creature again assaulted her, this time from the front. Samus' head rattled in her suit, as it slammed into a stone tomb.

'Guess he can see in the dark,' Samus reasoned to herself. 'But then again, so can I!' She immediately switched her visor over from the normal spectrum to infrared. Now she could clearly see the winged demon flying overheard. She feigned a defensive posture once again, this time preparing a counterattack of her own.

The demon took the bait as it dove right at her, knife leading the way. Samus waited until the last moment before grabbing onto its outstretched arm. Using its own momentum against it, she swung the creature around and sent it flying right into a nearby coffin. The wood splintered into a myriad of pieces, as Somnium faded from view.

The darkness dissipated as Yuri stood up once again. His clothes were torn to shreds and he had his hands at his sides. He stared at the ground and then began a violent coughing fit. Spitting out blood, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, staring right through Samus' visor.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this one," Yuri growled. "A pretty girl like yourself, I didn't want to mess up your face. But you leave me with no choice!" He clapped his hands together as his hair stood straight up with some hidden power. His skin turned silver and etched itself with elaborate markings up and down his arms and legs. Wings grew out of his back, resembling a raven of some sort.

"Prepare to face the wrath of Dark Seraphim!" he yelled out. He lunged at her with his clawed hand, but Samus was too smart for that basic attack. She again rolled into a ball and planted some bombs in her wake. The fusion realized the trick immediately and flew out of the path of the explosions.

"Can't use the same trick twice!" he laughed. But it seemed she had used a different trick of sorts, for when he looked up, his opponent was nowhere to be found.

"What!" the demon screamed. "Where did you go? Show yourself, you wench!" Still not hearing a sound, Dark Seraphim built up energy within its arms and then unleashed it upon the surrounding area. Grave after coffin after mound of dirt exploded underneath the sheer ferocity of the devastating attack. Once the massive assault was over, the humanoid creature waited for the dust to clear. The field was reduced to rubble, but there was still no sign of his opponent.

'Glad I decided to use my speed boosters and hide in one of these holes,' Samus congratulated herself. 'I wouldn't have wanted to be around to feel the brunt of that rage. Now if I can just get big, dumb, and ugly to come a little closer…'

Dark Seraphim scanned the battlefield in a very controlled manner. She had to be here. There was no way his opponent could have just disappeared. Suddenly, he saw the familiar arm cannon of the woman emerge from beneath the soil. He laughed at her foolish mistake.

"You revealed your position too quickly!" laughed Dark Seraphim. He flapped his wings and took off to finish this battle once and for all. "Now it's my turn!"

"Yeah, it is your turn," Samus, said meekly. "To get blown up…"

"What…?" balked the figure as it flew right over Samus' previous hiding place. Inside was a bomb, but this one was different from before. It was easily ten times the size of the previous ones.

"Goodnight," Samus told the creature, as the bomb exploded. The fusion took the full brunt of the attack in its chest. It immediately reverted back to Yuri.

'Now's my chance,' Samus told herself, as she leaped into the air and launched a jump kick at the Harmonixer.

"Aaahhh!" he screamed out, as he felt his ribs crack from her armored foot. He flew a good thirty feet and crashed head first into the arena's wall. A voice in the back of his head yelled at him to get up, but he didn't even why he should any more, as the confusion was evident in his eyes. Samus, knowing the fight was over, took off her helmet.

"Alice…is that…is that you?" Yuri croaked, trying to fight off the encroaching blackness.

"Sorry, kid," Samus replied. "I'm not this 'Alice' you're asking for. I'm just Samus Aran."

"Samus…" Yuri drooled, as his eyes began closing. "Nice…kick…" He then floated off into the dark waters of unconsciousness.

"Looks like the match is over!" the announcer yelled. "Samus Aran is our winner!" Samus merely flashed the crowd a small smile as she noticed Cloud standing up and enthusiastically clapping for her performance.

"Better get the kid out of here," Samus instructed the medical team. "He'll probably be fine, but I'd be willing to bet he has a concussion." The paramedics nodded as they carted him off on a stretcher to treat his wounds before sending the youth home.

-----

"Damn!" Sephiroth yelled to no one in particular, slamming his fist down on his desk. He was losing his trademark cool, something very uncharacteristic of him.

"So, it seems your plans have failed," the hooded figure laughed.

"None of your business," Sephiroth said, regaining his composure. "It's just a few minor setbacks is all."

"Don't feel bad," the cloaked person said, as if talking to a child. "Believe it or not, both of these fighters were aligned with good intentions. Whoever won, Cloud would be sure to gain a soul."

"I know," Sephiroth sighed. "It's just that I hate this. I'm sitting around here, doing nothing, as my eternal enemy grows stronger."

"I understand," the person said, "so that just means you have to try harder."

"How so?" wondered the silver-haired man. "Every time I try to aid those aligned with evil, they still end up being defeated."

"A new strategy is in order then," hissed the figure. "Why settle just for those who have already embraced evil? Why not recruit a few more to your ranks?"

Sephiroth stopped to consider this new proposal. Manipulation was one thing that he excelled at. "Yes, yes…why didn't I think of that before?"

"Because, despite your claims to the contrary, you are just as stupid as that Cloud."

Sephiroth scowled at this last statement. "Get out!" he screamed, pointing to his hotel door. "I no longer need your advice."

"But who says I have to give it?" asked the hooded form cryptically, as it blended into the shadows from whence it came.

Sephiroth just sat down and began shuffling through his documents. He had some manipulating to do. And it was not a moment too soon.


	20. Riku vs Frog: Heart of Darkness

**Riku vs. Frog: Heart of Darkness**  
_by Daredevil3181_

Riku had been playing in the sun with Sora and Kairi all day long and now he was thoroughly exhausted. Plopping down on the sand, the white-haired boy gazed at the setting sun, as if in a trance. The cool ocean breeze played lightly across his exposed chest as he reflected on the promise the three had made, that they would always be there for each other, no matter what.

"Riku, you look a bit dazed," Kairi laughed, her airy voice flying on the wind. "What's on your mind?"

"Oh," Riku replied in a dreamlike state, "nothing really. Just thinking how great it is to relax here with you two."

"But don't relax too much!" Sora exclaimed. "We're going on that rafting trip tomorrow and I don't want you to be late!"

"Yeah, I know, Sora," Riku told his lifelong friend. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Suddenly a tumult of images hammered into Riku's head. Groaning a little, he brought his hands up to his temples and clutched at them in pain.

"You really want to leave this world," a familiar voice inside Riku's head told him. "But not so that you can go 'exploring' like a mere child. No…you wish to conquer other worlds!"

"Sora…?" Riku mumbled. "Did you…did you say something?"

"Nope," the brown-haired boy denied. "Why?"

"Yeah, are you alright, Riku? You look a little pale." There was now a look of concern of Kairi's face.

"Yeah, I'll be fine, it's just a head…aaaaagggghhhh!" Riku screamed out in agony as his head was on fire once more.

"DON'T IGNORE ME, RIKU!" the voice spoke forcefully. "I am a part of you now, and I will always be."

"Get…away…" Riku panted. "I don't want you any more…"

"What do you mean Riku?" Kairi wondered. "We're you're friends!"

"Oh, but you don't need friends," the voice continued. "Not when you have me!"

"Sora, take Kairi and get out of here," Riku wheezed. "There's something evil inside of me and I'm not sure I can control it!"

"No, we're not going anywhere, Riku!" Sora said, determination in his voice. "Whatever's troubling you, I'm sure we can get through this together!"

"Sora, do what I say!" Riku glared at the boy. "Do it before I lose control and…" Suddenly Riku's body morphed and grew. His hair lengthened down to the middle of his back and his eyes took on a golden hue.

"…become ME!" the figure completed the sentence. No longer was this Riku. Sora knew the danger he now faced and unsheathed his keyblade.

"Ansem!" Sora shouted. "Leave my friend alone!"

"Then come and get me," Ansem sneered. Sora jumped at the leader of the Heartless but his attack was thwarted. In one smooth motion, Ansem brought his hand down into the back of Sora's head, splintering it into many pieces.

"And now with him out of the way, I can fully unleash my darkness," Ansem cackled. He raised his hands into the air and the waves upon waves of blackness flowed out of him and all over the island. They soon covered the entire world, as there was nothing to stop them, Like a malicious virus, the darkness refused to stop, as it quickly branched out and spread to the rest of existence.

'No, this can't be happening!' Riku cried out, unable to stop the evil that had wrested control away from him. The words never left his mouth, though, as the former Lord of Hollow Bastion merely laughed.

"Riku…how…how could you?" Kairi wept.

'Kairi, I didn't mean to,' Riku apologized as the girl faded from view, followed shortly by Sora's lifeless body. 'Kairi…Sora…don't go! I'm so alone here! Please, I need you guys!'

"You're not alone, Riku," Ansem said, calmly. "Never alone. Did you forget? You always have ME!"

'NNNOOOOOOO…!' screamed Riku, as the darkness swallowed him whole.

------

"…OOOOOOOOOO!" Riku continued, as his scream jerked his body awake. He was gripping his pillow tightly, his body drenched in sweat. He quickly looked to the door connecting his room with the adjacent one and saw a figure standing there. For a second his heart raced, thinking it was Ansem, but he was later relieved when a much less menacing person moved closer to him.

"Another bad dream?" asked Sora, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Yeah, it was Ansem again," Riku sighed, feeling no shame about confiding in his friend. "He…he killed you. And then he went to on destroy so many other worlds too."

"You never seemed to have this many problems before we came here," Sora commented. "Why the sudden change?"

"I…I really don't know," Riku sighed. "I think all this blood and fighting has appealed to the darker side in me. I'm afraid I might lose it once again."

"You're so weak," Sora said, locking his gaze with Riku's and refusing to let go.

"What…what did you say?" A scowl worked its way on to Riku's face.

"You heard what I said. You're a little weakling. A true warrior wouldn't let his evil side take over. He'd be in control of himself at all times."

"It's a never ending battle, Sora," Riku said, staring at the floor. "You wouldn't understand, as your heart is your own. Mine is inhabited by a force that only seeks the black void of existence."

"So!" Sora yelled. "That's not an excuse! You say you have to keep on fighting? So what! Ever since I picked up this keyblade, Heartless have been hungering for my blood every time I set foot into a new world. And you know what? I fight them. I keep on fighting them. And I win."

Riku didn't say a word. He knew what Sora said was true, yet every time he took a breath, he could feel that other side of him hungering for life as well. 'He's quite a long way from the happy-go-lucky person I knew before,' Riku thought. 'Castle Oblivion must have changed him, even if he can't remember it, just as that place changed me.'

"It's only when good stops fighting that evil has truly won," Sora said. "You might not be as pure of ideals and heart as me, but I do know one thing: So long as you never give up, evil will never come out on top. Ever."

Riku slowly brought his eyes up to meet his friend's. "You're right. Thanks for all the support."

"Don't mention it," Sora said, a smile finding its way on to his face once more. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What's that?" Riku wondered.

"When you scream in your sleep, you sound like a little girl." Sora had to jump back into his room quickly to avoid being beamed in the head, as a rampaging telephone rebounded off the doorjamb with a loud ring.

------

"Yeah, I think you're ready, Glenn," Crono told the amphibious warrior. The two had been training almost every day since they arrived. Crono had even created a few new programs on his own so that the two could practice in together.

"Dost thou really think'th so?" asked Frog. He quickened his pace, tired from the long day. The two had stopped off at the weapons shop after the training session and from there had gone to a little café. Now all Frog wanted was to feel the soft sheets of his awaiting bed.

"Oh yeah, you'll be fine," Crono reassured him. "Besides, you had me training you. There's no way you could lose!"

"Too true, Sir Crono!" Frog croaked in laughter. He was suddenly knocked out of his good cheer however, when a cloaked figure slammed into his side, causing Frog to fall to the ground.

"You could at least say 'excuse me' when you do that," Crono chastised the man, as he helped Frog to his feet.

"I don't have to say anything actually," the man corrected the swordsman. As if the blue hair wasn't a giveaway, the pointed ears and pale skin proved beyond a shadow of a doubt the person they were now dealing with.

"Magus!" Frog bellowed, anger in his voice. "I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to Cyrus."

"Good," Magus said. "I wouldn't have it any other way. But remember, in order to ever get your shot at me, you must first defeat your opponent tomorrow."

"That shouldn't be a problem," said Crono. "We've been training so much. Frog should easily be able to take down Riku."

"Don't be so sure," Magus warned them. "Riku commands the powers of darkness, and while he has refused to allow them to fully corrupt his mind, they have left their mark upon his twisted heart. No longer is he afraid to use those powers to their full potential."

"I have fought against dark beings and won before, wizard!" Frog snapped. "And I will do it again!"

"You're angry…good…" Magus sneered. "You better hold on to that emotion, because that will be the only way for you to defeat him. Use your thirst for revenge that you so hunger to unleash on me and cut it loose. Spare your opponents no mercy. Only then may we come face-to-face." Magus left before Frog or Crono could react to this statement, his red cape billowing in the cool night breeze.

"Dost thou think'th he is right, Sir Crono?" wondered Frog.

"Who cares?" replied Crono. "Like I said before, you'll beat him just fine. All you have to do is use those new sword techniques we practiced and the match'll be over before you know it. Besides, you also have that badge I gave you. It's your secret weapon."

"I do hope thou ist correct," sighed Frog. "Verily much so."

------

"Riku's gonna show this guy who's boss," said Sora, squirming in the stands. "Back on our island, sometimes he would even beat me, so you know he has to be good."

"Relax, kiddo," Squall said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. He looked around once or twice to make sure no one had seen Sora's outburst. "The match hasn't even started yet, so you can save your cheering for a little later."

"But I'm just so excited that it's hard to contain myself," Sora smiled, half-apologizing.

"Whatever," Squall sighed. 'Of all the places I chose to sit today…'

The announcer made his introductions and the two combatants rushed out onto the floor. Neither one really cared for the fans as they made their way over to judges' area to report in. Sephiroth glanced at the two of them with a rather lazy look in his eyes.

"You know the drill," Sephiroth said, his voice resoundingly hollow. "The amphibian gets to pick the arena's terrain and the one who reminds me so much of a younger version of myself can pick where he wants to start." He then brought his hand up and flicked the back of it at the two of them, as if trying to shoo the match along faster.

"I wouldst like to now choose thine terrain," Frog proclaimed. "A colossal mountainside that slopes into a thick forest it shall be, if thou pleases."

"Ummmm…that's a bit big. Do you think you could maybe ask for something small…" Cloud started. He was soon interrupted by the stadium's technical operator.

"Sir, although the size would be bigger than anything we've ever done before, our system is indicating that it could still handle this."

"Oh, nevermind then," Cloud said, slumping back into his chair. "False alarm."

This next sight was truly a spectacle as the stadium rumbled along with the vastly changing terrain. A giant mass of rock grew out of the ground. Higher and higher it rose until it halted just below the halfway point of the stands. Trees and other dense foliage sprouted around the base of the mountain, completing obscuring the crowd's view of the floor below.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, it appears that we will have to rely on the cameras that transmit to the Jumobtron in order to see the vast majority of this match. That colossal mountain is going to block out half of the action for some of you and those trees will probably get in the way for the other half. On second thought, why in the world did that silly amphibian pick this environment anyway?"

"It takes advantage of his smaller stature and jumping ability," theorized Riku. "Not like it matters much. I'll take the high ground, Froggy. Come and get me." Riku then scrambled up the rock face to perch comfortably on a little outcropping about halfway up the edifice.

"Thou shouldst be the one to get ready," said Frog, as he moved underneath the trees, already looking for a quick path up to his opponent. He crouched down, tensing his leg muscles in anticipation of the match's start. The amphibian didn't have to wait long, though, as the announcer suddenly gave the two contestants the go-ahead with a loud bang.

'Now where is he?' wondered Riku, clutching his blade, the Soul Eater, close to his body. 'I do have the advantage in that he has to come to me, but I'm not one to sit around here waiting.'

Riku was brought back to reality, though, when an impossibly long tongue shot out at him. It moved so fast that he barely had any time at all to dodge. The tongue wrapped around a few rocks and then retracted almost as fast as it unfurled. Riku heard a spitting sound and then saw the red thing fire at him once again. He was ready this time, though, as he stepped to the side and brought the hilt of the Soul Eater down on the appendage with all his might.

"Ouch!" he heard a voice yell from down below, as Frog had finally revealed his position.

"Come join me up here!" Riku called out. "The view is great!"

"Hold thine tongue!" Frog yelled back.

"No, that's what you should be doing," Riku teased. "I have no idea where that thing's been."

Flustered at the callous tone of the young man, Frog spurned himself into action. Using his rippling leg muscles, he began rebounding off the tree trunks until he was on top of the foliage. Riku began chucking a few rocks at the knight, but these were easily parried with his sword. Tired of this waiting game, Frog propelled himself into the air, landing about three arm lengths away from his opponent.

"Time to get this fight started," Riku said. "No more tricks." He then rushed at Frog with his unique keyblade.

Frog blocked every one of Riku's wild slashes with ease. He then began pressing his own attack, hopping and slashing about with controlled movements. Riku tried his best to fend off the blows, but he was severely outclassed. It wasn't long before he took a hit to the head from the flat of Frog's sword.

"Ugh…" he groaned, falling down.

'That was too easy,' thought Frog, creeping up on Riku ever so slowly. He made sure not to let his guard down, though. This caution went well-rewarded as Riku's arm muscles suddenly tensed. He fired his body like a missile at his opponent, feet first. Frog moved to the side just in time as Riku's feet missed his midsection by mere centimeters. Congratulating himself for his evasive action, Frog was slammed from the side by the Soul Eater.

"What?" Frog cried, as he began tumbling a little ways down the mountain. He grabbed on to the rocks quickly and halted his fall.

"My feet were a distraction," Riku explained. "That way I could smash you with my keyblade. Seems it worked, as I won first blood."

Frog licked the top of his head and was surprised to find a trickle of red liquid coming out from a lone cut up there. He just glared at Riku, angry at having been taken advantage of by such a simple ploy. Raising his arms out, he began to gather magical power from within his body.

"Taking a swan dive?" Riku asked. The amphibian said nothing, though, as energy focused within his mouth. Taking a big breath, he exhaled, and out erupted five shots of concentrated water.

Riku rolled to the right, as two water bolts smashed into the rock face where he had been moments earlier. Sensing that there was more coming, he quickly sidestepped back toward the left, avoiding another two Unfortunately he couldn't evade all of his opponent's attacks, as the final stream pounded into his chest, knocking him against the mountain's side.

"Magic," Riku observed through clenched teeth. "I thought you were just a swordsman…"

"There is more to me than meets the eye," Frog explained. He then raised his hands up again, gathering energy for another spell.

"Forget this," Riku spat. "Time for me to tap into my darker powers." Riku jumped into the air and suddenly transformed, purposefully willing his tainted heart to the surface. He touched down to the ground with a more menacing look in his eyes, as dark aura now surrounding his body.

Frog paid this new look no mind as he simply fired another barrage of water jets. Rather than try to dodge them this time, Riku merely lifted up his Soul Eater. With a blur of motion, he deflected the projectiles away, except for the last one. Not even worried, he flicked his wrist at it, halting the water's progress.

The water stream seemed to float motionless in the air for a second or two before moving once again. This time, however, it was flying toward Frog instead of at its previous target. The amphibian quickly leapt into the air, shocked that his own move had been turned against him.

'He freely control'th the dark,' Frog thought, 'and with it, all its powers and tricks. I must stay on the defensive lest an attack be the end of me.'

Riku said nothing, though, as his held his hand out in front of him once again. He let dark energy gather in his palm until it was the size of a toy globe. Satisfied that it had built up to a sufficient amount, he released his power in the form of three dark fireballs. Although none of them had been aimed at Frog, the trio quickly homed in on the knight's location, warping the air around them as they flew to their destination.

'I can destroy'th simple fire,' Frog laughed to himself. He summoned his own magic once again and fired mighty jets of water at the dark fireballs. Instead of putting the fire out, the water simply evaporated as it came into contact with the flames. Apparently this fire was stronger than the amphibian had originally thought.

The first fireball slammed into Frog's shoulder, causing it to go numb with pain. Rather than burn into him, however, it simply felt as if an invisible force was hitting Frog with a gigantic bat. The second one knocked his legs out from under him, leaving him lying completely vulnerable on his back. The final projectile barreled into his midsection, thrusting him against the mountain with such force that the whole rock began to shake.

"What the…?" Riku began, as little rocks began to slowly slide down the mountainside. The stones began to pick up in intensity, rolling faster and faster. It was beginning to become very hard to stand as Riku's footing began shifting around uncontrollably. And then it dawned on him. "Avalanche!"

Riku tried to run from the wave of rocks, but it was no use. The sedimentaceous materials were pelting against his body with increasing force and he could barely stand. There was no way to fight this cascade and get to safety.

'Can't move against it," Riku resigned himself to this conclusion. 'But then again…maybe I can move WITH it.'

He desperately searched the avalanche for a vantage point. As if some higher authority had suddenly answered his prayers, Riku immediately spied a large rock tumbling down the mountain. He launched himself into the air toward it but his jump fell just a little short. Calling upon the darkness even more, the crowd was astonished to see Riku calmly jump once again in mid-air, to successfully land on top of the boulder and out of the main flow of the avalanche's rocks.

"Time to bring'th you down!" shouted Frog, as he too leaped into the air. Whereas Riku had covered a lot of distance horizontally with his jump. Frog traveled almost totally vertically. His momentum slowing as he reached his jump's zenith, Frog stalled in the air for a moment before pointing his sword down and aiming himself directly at his opponent.

Riku backflipped off his rock just in time to see Frog's sword cleave the huge boulder in two. Improvising, he planted his feet down on two smaller rocks, still moving along with the avalanche's momentum. Crouching down to change his center of gravity to a more favorable one, Riku increased his slide and glided right over to Frog, Soul Eater leading the way.

Frog simply fanned his arms out, never letting his adversary leave his sight. Just when Riku was about to connect, Frog brought up his own sword to block the powerful strike. As his body glowed with mystical energy Frog placed his feet on Riku's chest and pushed off, propelling himself back down to the trees below.

"What the…?" Riku wondered, but his unfinished question was soon answered as he felt a few trickles of water brush against the back of his neck. He looked behind him only to find that Frog had called upon a wave of water to mix with the already falling rocks, causing a cascade of mud to form. Riku could only brace himself for the impact as the mud wall slammed into the youth, hurtling him down to the ground below.

"No…no…he can't be gone!" Sora yelled to anyone around who was willing to listen. He refused to believe that his friend could be beaten this easily.

Frog had grabbed on to a tree branch and was searching the ground for any signs of movement. After a minute or two of scanning, he could find no life below. Satisfied that the match was indeed over, Frog jumped down, only to be hit in his already sore abdomen from a dark keyblade.

"Yeah, Riku! Keep it up! I knew that Frog guy couldn't beat you like that!" Sora cheered.

"Hey, Auron, do you hear that?" a bubbly blonde girl asked the swordsman she was sitting next to. "It seems that I already have some fans here!"

Auron was about to open his mouth to tell the young girl that the voice did not support her, but he quickly thought better of it. 'Let her think what she wants. But if she tries to run down there and fight because "her match is up" I'll definitely stop her.'

Beaming at the crowd, Rikku began jumping around like a fool, hoping people would shower her with even more unexpected praise.

Riku was bruised, battered, and covered in mud, yet, as a testament to his strength, still standing. His breathing now came to him in labored gasps, but he refused to give in to his fatigue or battle injuries. In addition to the pain the mud avalanche had brought him, he also had relied too much upon the power of darkness and it was beginning to take its toll on his mind and body. Already he could feel Ansem banging from within his heart, begging to be released.

'If it wasn't for my powers, I'd be a goner. Still, I need to end this fast or else I could unleash something a lot uglier than originally intended.' Summoning all the power he had left, Riku jumped into the air and poured everything he had into the dark aura surrounding him. It began to grow and warp until it had covered the entire battlefield.

Frog didn't know what to think of this new development. It was a blanket of darkness, and yet, he could still see within it just fine. He stared at his opponent, waiting for him to make his next move. Riku merely floated in the air with a serene look on his face. And then he vanished.

'Where…?' Frog thought, but that question was immediately answered for him as Riku materialized right next to him and slammed his keyblade into the knight's sternum. Frog slashed out in retaliation but was unable to sink his sword into anything solid. Riku had teleported behind Frog and thrust the Soul Eater at the amphibian once again. Frog could do nothing but let this onslaught finish as Riku hit him four more times. Finally, the white-haired boy plunged his keyblade into Frog's chest, piercing his heart with waves of darkness.

Clutching his chest in alarm, Frog tried to stem the flow of blood that he knew would be pouring out in buckets as he formed a healing spell in his mind. To his astonishment, there were no visible wounds on his chest. And yet, his heart ached and throbbed, causing Frog to scream in agony.

Still not finished, Riku flipped backwards and planted his keyblade into the ground. Spinning around in a clockwise rotation, dark pillars began to form underneath Frog's feet. With no chance to escape to safety, Frog just looked away as the dark energy was unleashed, erupting upon him like a thousand suns.

"There…it's…it's over," Riku breathed, his final attack complete. He was totally drained. He could tap into the darkness once more, but do so would almost ensure that Ansem would be released from the prison that now contained him, as he was too exhausted to keep the man at bay any longer.

Riku slumped down on the ground next to the amphibian as he felt a blinding flash of pain in his sword arm. He looked over to the find the source. It was then that he saw that Frog's sword had been thrust through his bicep.

"I'm sorry, Sir Riku," Frog apologized, feeling the revitalizing power of his cure spell washing over his body. "Thou hast fought bravely, but I must end this fight." Riku, no longer willing to risk tapping into his dark power, clumsily slashed at the knight with his non-dominant hand.

Frog didn't even try to block the blow or move to the side. Instead, he rubbed the badge that Crono had given him, proudly displayed over his breast. Calling upon the magical energy that had been stored inside of there, he directed the powerful electric surge into his sword, which was still stuck within Riku's arm.

"AAAAGGGHHHH!" Riku cried out, as his hair stood on end, pain erupting through every fiber of his being. The lightning being too much for his already weakened form to handle, Riku dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. Bending over his worthy adversary, Frog pulled out his sword, barely suppressing an evil grin.

'Why shouldst I be feeling so happy about this?' wondered Frog. 'Almost as if I take pleasure in the suffering of others. How very peculiar…'

Frog was unable to comment on this anymore, though, as his thoughts were drowned out by the roar of the crowd. Cloud had been about to come out on the field and congratulate him, but he suddenly stopped, displaying a confused look on his face.

"I will never understand'th that man," Frog shook his head, as he made his own way over to the stadium's locker room.


	21. Interlude: Darkness

**Darkness**

_By Alpha Anomaly_

Getting up from his seat in the stands, Dante was extremely concerned about the proceedings of the match he had just witnessed.

"Frog…something is very wrong with him. I can't quite put my finger on it, but…" Dante trailed off as he muttered to himself.

"Something just doesn't fit," he contemplated, scratching at his eyebrow as if racking his brain for a hidden answer. Then, something occurred to him.

"Wait, Riku…he's supposedly holding dark emotions in him, right?" Dante frowned, and decided to get some more information on the mysterious youth.

------

'I can feel myself growing more powerful every day,' Cloud smiled to himself as he strolled back to his hotel after the jolt of power he felt from Riku's soul flowing into his body. 'Finally, I can have the power. I will have the strength that I was unable to attain earlier in my life. Sephiroth is growing angry, I can feel it. No evil soul has won a match yet, he must be agitated. His deal with that figure must not be going well for him. Ah well, no matter.'

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Link and the one winged angel himself in a heated argument as he exited the tunnel leading back into the streets of the huge metropolis. Deciding that it wasn't any of his business, Cloud continued along his way. 'Things get stranger here every day,' the former champion thought to himself as he continued back to the hotel. 

-----

"Yeah, come in!" a voice came from the other side of the bare door with only the symbols 2035 on it.

Dante entered the room, and shut it behind him, then made sure no one was in the room before helping himself to a soda from Sora's refrigerator. "So, Sora," the white haired demon began, "Tell me about Riku."

Sora's expression immediately turned from happy and welcoming to very somber. His voice trembled and cracked as he thought about his friend. "Why do you want to know about Riku, and more importantly, what?" the keyblade holder inquired to Dante.

"Well, kid, I've heard there's some dark stuff about him. It may be important to some other contestants. What can you tell me about that?" He propped his feet up on the table, and slid the Rebellion out of its place on his back, leaning it against the hotel room wall.

"He..he was my best friend," Sora trembled. "He was taken over by the darkness, lured to it by a very evil man, Ansem. Ansem was the leader of the Heartless, essentially the embodiment of darkness and evil, who now resides within Riku." Dante stared, confused. 'What in the fires of hell are Heartless?' he thought to himself as he waited for Sora to continue. When the keyblade master said no more, Dante began again.

"Okay, kid. So, what you're saying is that Riku is controlled by darkness, or at least has the capability to spread it, right?" Dante was very confused and was simply trying to boil it down to one fact.

"Well, he has Ansem under complete control, and he'd never spread darkness the way he used to. He has a darkened heart, but he really is a good person."

Dante had garnered all the information necessary from the boy, and had discerned from the jumbles of blubbering one critical piece of information. Riku was capable of spreading his dark influence into others through the keyblade.

"Thanks, Sora. I may be in touch soon," a very serious Dante explained as he lowered his feet, stood up and grabbed the Rebellion, replacing it in its position on his back.

"Yeah, any time, Dante," the boy said, closing the door behind the half demon.

"I knew it!" Dante exclaimed to himself as he trudged back to his own hotel room. "Riku spread dark influences into Frog's body when he was weak and losing control over this "Ansem" guy. I have to go talk to Frog soon, he's in real danger."

As the son of Sparda rushed around the building, searching for Frog's hotel room, something occurred to him. He questioned himself momentarily in his mind. 'Why was I able to sense Frog's evil influences inside of him?' he thought to himself, scanning the door numbers, looking for the amphibian swordsman's. 'Could it be my half-demon nature? I wonder if any of the other demonic influenced contestants felt something…' 

Dante found the door to Frog's room ajar, with one of Frog's good friends, Crono, sitting inside, the amphibian nowhere to be found.

"Crono, quick, where's Frog?" Dante inquired, panting.

"I have no clue, he was supposed to be in his room, that's where he told me he'd be," the swordsman, usually silent, explained quickly. "Why?"

"Well, I think there may be a problem, and it may be related to his disappearance," Dante said, no joking around.

Crono looked over at the amphibian's Masamune, lying dormant in its scabbard on its weilder's bed, and not with the swordsman. "I think you're right about one thing, demon. I think there is definitely a problem."


	22. Ganondorf vs Yuna: Wicked Warlock

**Ganondorf vs Yuna: Wicked Warlock**  
_By Opiate109_

The sun hung suspended in the sky as noon hit the city of Grandis Somnium with a blistering heat. Many contestants decided to play it safe and remained inside, taking comfort in abusing their rooms' thermostats. A number of people also ended up at the Soldier's Spirit, desperately seeking something to quench their parched throats. Among these contestants was a familiar group of friends: Auron, Tidus, Yuna and Rikku. They sat around their table, speaking amongst themselves in a cheery manner. It almost seemed as if they had completely forgotten about Yuna's match against Ganondorf Dragmire that was scheduled in a few hours.

"So, Yuna, you've been really busy training these past few days. It's like I haven't seen you at all," said Rikku, taking a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, you seem really dedicated to beating Ganondorf," Tidus observed.

Yuna looked at the blonde-haired man with regret in her eyes. She did not wish to say anything, but she had her doubts about the match. She had trained for days and yet, she wondered if that would be enough. She had heard rumors of Ganondorf's strength and quite frankly, even if the rumors were only a fraction true, they still proved that this man was a force to be wary of. Auron looked at her, understanding what she was trying to hide. He chose to let her speak her mind, however, as he remained as cold as usual and awaited her response.

"I just…want more time with you," she replied. Her response brought a smile to Tidus' face, who reached out to grab her hand.

"I know you'll win. You saved Spira! I mean, how strong can this Ganondorf guy be?" Tidus asked the question almost jokingly, not expecting a response.

"Stronger than you can imagine, so don't you dare let your guard down. Take a look at our three contest organizers. They are stronger than anything that could be found in our world and there still might be potential for them to grow even more powerful," Auron stated. Tidus looked at him in anger, as did Rikku. Yuna looked down, knowing he spoke the truth.

"Auron, you're so serious all the time," laughed Rikku, with a hint of rage in her voice. She gave Auron a glance that just screamed "Shut up!".

"Lighten up...Yuna can handle anything!" Tidus said, trying to regain some of Yuna's lost confidence for her.

Yuna smiled and nodded in response. She knew it wasn't true but she didn't want to spend what could be her last day arguing. Auron shook his head slightly, but remained silent as Tidus began to speak about something that did not interest him. The swordsman looked out the window to see an odd sight for such a bright day. Alucard Tepes was walking towards the bar in his heavy coat, floating through the extreme heat as if he were some exotic mirage.

The half-vampire entered the bar in complete silence. Not even those seated next to the door noticed him. He looked around for a seat that was open and his eyes finally settled on the vacant space next to Auron.

Alucard walked up to the empty seat and looked at Auron, who merely nodded. Dracula's son sat down without a sound and looked intently at Yuna. When she finally returned his gaze, he made a motion to urge her to continue with her previous conversation. Yuna just continued to stare back at the man, as did Tidus. Rikku was the only one that greeted him, although Alucard took no notice of her. He hadn't come here to talk to children.

"Uh…can we help you?" Tidus asked, tilting his head to the side, similar to what a dog might do.

Alucard looked at Tidus for a second or two and then finally opened his mouth to speak. "Yuna, you face Ganondorf today, correct?" Before waiting for an answer, he continued to talk to the young woman. "I wanted to offer a little advice with which to help you. Last year, I lost at the hands of that monster. I don't want to see you share the same fate as I did," said Alucard, his eyes filled with regret.

"Yuna doesn't need your help. She's been training for days and has this battle in the bag," Tidus said, irritation evident in his voice. Yuna was about to calm her companion down when Alucard decided to deal with this comment himself.

"If that's the case then hopefully all will be well. Good luck in your match today, Lady Yuna," he said, slowly getting to his feet. "Auron, good luck in yours tomorrow as well. Farewell." The half-vampire then turned on his heel and silently walked out of the bar, once again attracting failing to attract any notice from any of the other bar's patrons.

"Auron, why are all your friends so weird?" Rikku asked, once she thought Alucard was out of hearing range. As Alucard glided past the window, Auron could have swore that he saw a smile on the half-vampire's face.

"You would be wise to heed his advice. Believe it or not, he actually knows what he's talking about," said Auron, turning to face Tidus.

"We don't need his help! Yuna will win! I just know it!" Tidus exclaimed. He turned toward Yuna with a wide grin. In his joy he missed the distinct fear in her eyes as she put on a fake smile, more for his sake than her own.

Sitting across the busy bar was Ganondorf himself. Due to the amount of people in the bar, neither he nor Yuna noticed each other. He sat alone, impatiently awaiting his meal that he had asked the staff to cook. When the barkeeper finally brought his food, which was the first time the bar had even been asked to make a meal, he stared at the gruel in disgust.

"Did I ask for this piece of trash to be well done?" Ganondorf asked angrily.

"But…Sir, we don't usually make meals…"

"Well, then you'd think you could get just one right!" Ganondorf shouted loudly, banging his hand on the small wooden table he was sitting at. His plate fell to the floor and broke, along with what was supposed to be his lunch. He stood up quickly and started to leave the bar when he saw Yuna's table.

"And just who do we have here? Well, well, well, if it isn't my opponent, Yuna. I'm looking forward to our match, milady. I guarantee that it will be a gruesome sight to see!"

Auron stood up quickly, drawing his Masamune. Ganondorf backed up a step and smirked.

"Save it for your match tomorrow," said Ganondorf, in a much colder tone. He quickly stormed out of the bar, cracking his knuckles as he did. He punched the flimsy bar door on his way out, sending the cheap door flying off its hinges and splintering into a myriad of wooden pieces. Tidus simply stared at the belligerent warlock with contempt.

------

Yuna stood with her staff in hand, awaiting the arrival of her opponent. In the stands, Auron, Tidus, and Rikku sat in the general crowd. It seems Auron had made a lot of acquaintances here already, as most of the contestants acknowledged the swordsman's presence in one way or another.

Even though the three held out hope for Yuna, the general consensus amongst the fans was that the match would be a sure victory for Ganondorf, who was quickly gaining a following of his own. As soon as the warlock walked into the stadium, the crowd was split down the middle between cheering and booing for the Gerudo King. He didn't pay the commotion any mind, however, as he merely cracked his knuckles and stared at his opponent.

The arena sat in silence as Sephiroth slowly stood up. "You all know the rules. The lower seed gets their choice of scenery. Yuna, what is your choice?"

"Just, um…a rocky field?" Yuna asked, not meaning to sound so questioning of her own choice.

Sephiroth smirked slightly and then nodded. He turned to the stadium's operator, who quickly went to work changing the battlefield. The transformation was rather quick, as the battleground rapidly changed into a grassy field with a number of large boulders littered around the area.

"Will this suffice?" Sephiroth asked, not really caring what the answer would be.

Yuna realized her description was rather vague but nodded just the same, hoping she could use the boulders to her advantage somehow. Sephiroth then turned to Ganondorf. "Which side will you choose as a starting point?"

Ganondorf walked to the nearest corner and then stood very still, indicating that he had made his decision. Yuna trotted to the opposite corner and turned to face the intimidating man. She couldn't see him directly, though, as there was a large boulder in the dead center of the field, blocking each combatant's view of the other. Sephiroth made a little hand flourish and the announcer began to countdown to the battle.

"3…2 …1," the announcer called out, leaving Yuna standing there in awkward confusion. The match had begun so suddenly, almost without warning. She had expected grand introductions, but was left waiting for them as the battle began. As she stared out over the center boulder once again, she took note of a large purple ball floating towards her.

Yuna quickly ran to the right, along the edge of the field. Ganondorf rapidly came into view as his attack landed several yards behind her. The Gerudo King turned to her as she raised her staff in a familiar ritual. She chose to summon Valefor to start the battle off, and in a blinding flash of light, she did just that. Looking beyond her summoned creature, she was somewhat startled to see Ganondorf so calm while staring at the monster, his hands raised as if he were a boxer.

Valefor braced itself and raised its wings. Yuna watched as the dragon-like creature flew towards its opponent at an incredible speed. Ganondorf waited patiently, hoping his timing was correct. Yuna noticed a dark purple glow around his fist, which was cocked back and ready to punch forward at any moment. Yuna shouted at Valefor to stop his flight, but her summon did not hear her. He flew directly into Ganondorf's energy charged punch.

The crowd gasped as Valefor's head snapped backwards in a sickening crack. Valefor flew upwards, dazed but still able to fight, and repositioned himself high above Ganondorf. The two looked at each other, neither one wanting to make the next move.

Hoping to make use of her summon's distracting presence, Yuna was constantly edging closer to Ganondorf. She made sure she still had her secret weapon ready, as Rikku had called it. By the time Valefor flew in to attack Ganondorf again, she had closed in half the distance between herself and her adversary.

The bruised summon flew straight down, brandishing its razor sharp talons. Ganondorf dodged this attack and lashed out to where he was standing seconds prior. Valefor moved its wing quickly and flew up to dodge the murderous punch. Without hesitation, it flew down again, hoping to strike Ganondorf with anything it could hit him with.

The wizard moved quickly to the left, but he was too slow as his right arm was grazed by the sharp beak of the summoned creature. He felt the blood flow out of him as he raised his knee into Valefor's stomach. He continued the assault, connecting with a sharp left hook that sent the summon reeling. Still not out of the fight just yet, the battered and bruised creature flew up again.

Yuna watched all this as she slowly continued to move towards her opponent. She drew a blade from beneath her long robes, letting it gleam in the sunlight. This was a sword that had been stabbed into her doorframe in the middle of the night. A simple note had accompanied and merely said "From: Alucard" and nothing more. She was thankful of the gift, however, as she could not rely on her staff for proper close quarters combat if her summons happened to fail her. She crept closer to Ganondorf, who was now wholly distracted as he waited for another attack from Valefor.

Valefor noticed its master sneaking closer. Understanding its true purpose as a distraction, the winged beast flew in for another attack. His neck still hurt and his right wing had been badly damaged, but it would continue to fight on. Valefor knew that it would be gone within a few more deadly punches, but he had to help Yuna and give her the chance she needed to get rid of the wizard.

With a wild attack, Valefor contorted its whole body around and connected with his talon, scratching at Ganondorf's upper thigh. The Gerudo wizard did not even notice the cut, as he jumped up, fist first. His punch slammed into Valefor's lower jaw and sent the summon reeling backwards. Valefor attempted to fly up, but was too weak. The bloodied creature took one last desperate breath and then collapsed to the ground, disappearing in a flash.

Finding herself only ten feet from her opponent's back, Yuna knew she had to act now. She ran towards Ganondorf, Alucard's short sword in hand. Ganondorf growled as Yuna stabbed into him, driving the blade nearly six inches deep. She backed off quickly and could only stare as blood began to gush out from the wound, running down the wounded wizard's leg and onto the ground.

Ganondorf snarled and collapsed on to one knee. He quickly grabbed the sword and yanked on it. A little more blood squirted out, but he ignored it and threw the blade to the ground. His face was filled with anger as he slowly stood up and turned to face the summoner.

"You…You'll pay for that!" Ganondorf shouted, walking towards his opponent. Yuna knew she had to finish this fast, as she had no hope of facing the man in hand-to-hand combat. She ran as quickly as she could behind the nearest boulder and began to summon another creature. She only prayed that her next summon would get the job done without destroying the entire stadium. Raised her staff once more, she began the short summoning ritual.

In the stands, Tidus looked on in horror as Ganondorf continued to move after suffering the wounds he had. Auron was simply talking to Alucard, Vincent, and Dante about Yuna's next move. He knew which creature was coming next, as he muttered its name under his breath. It better get the job done, as this was the one summon that Ganondorf would actually have to take seriously.

A blinding flash of light and a loud roar overwhelmed Yuna's shout, as Bahamut emerged onto the battlefield. Ganondorf looked on in horror and tightened his fists. Tidus and Rikku were both staring in astonishment at Ganondorf's will to fight, as Vincent and Dante were pointing out the sudden shift in power.

The two younger companions from Spira were both wondering how Auron and his three friends could act like all this was normal. For the first time all contest, Tidus began to consider just how strong the other combatants could be. Rikku just shuddered every time Vincent gave her a wayward glance.

Just as Tidus thought, Bahamut slowly inhaled a massive breath. Yuna hid behind the boulder, hoping that this next attack would end the match. She had nowhere to run and found herself suddenly very appreciative of the scenery she had chosen.

Ganondorf braced himself as Bahamut unleashed his attack. The crowd watched in astonishment as four large balls of dark magic engulfed the warlock. Bahamut laughed to itself as the deadly energy descended upon the lone man. All were quiet as Ganondorf made no move to evade the attack. He merely closed his eyes and rubbed his hands together. All was silent.

The massive explosion rocked the stadium to its very core, shattering the deadly quiet with a cacophonous blast. Bags of popcorn and soda spilled out everywhere. It felt as if a minor earthquake had woken up and sleepily decided to attack the arena. After a moment or two, all was still and silent once more. There was a giant crater where the Gerudo King once stood.

'Oh good,' thought Alucard. 'It seems as if this hellish fight is finally over.' His skin suddenly crawled as he heard a grating laughter. Faint at first, but slowly growing in intensity over time. It was a sound that Alucard had remembered hearing the previous year. 'On no! That's…'

Ganon, the Lord of Darkness, stepped out from smoking gaping hole. His pig-like shape had been mocked by many competitors, until he used it to destroy much of his competition the previous year.

Bahamut looked at Ganon angrily, disgusted that a mortal had emerged from its attack relatively unscathed. Ganon stared back, barely looking up to see the creature's eyes anymore. He held his trident in his right hand, which was currently surrounded in a thick blue flame.

Bahamut kicked its foot at Ganon, who easily blocked the assault with his left hand. Ganon countered by stabbing his trident forward and through the Dragon King's thick scales. Bahamut roared in pain and began to backpedal but the creature quickly regained its balance and composure.

The dragon stared at its opponent in hatred. It opened its mouth and prepared to use its Mega Flare attack. Ganon stepped forward and smiled slightly, challenging the creature to do its worst.

Bahamut unleashed its ferocious attack, causing several spectators to brace themselves in fear of being hit. Once its attack died down, Bahamut looked down. Unable to find any trace of Ganon, it was just about to relax its guard when a snort from its left grabbed hold of the summon's attention.

Bahamut quickly took to the skies. His quick thinking proved to be useless, however. Ganon jabbed upwards with deadly speed and caught the dragon in the leg. Bahamut attempted to pull its leg free but found that the trident was stuck too deeply for it to make any additional move.

Ganon snorted again, adamant in his assault. Bahamut prepared to attack, as did the ferocious pig demon. The crowd watched in shock as Bahamut unleashed another Mega Flare. Ganon sent tens of lightning bolts crackling through Bahamut's leg in retaliation. The two attacks came together and created a flash too bright for any spectator to see through, leaving them to only guess at the outcome of the might clash.

What seemed like hours passed before the light faded. Gasps went through the crowd as they saw the bloody scene that lay before them. Ganondorf, forced to revert to his human form, lay bloody and bruised, his face down in the ground. A few feet away, the large, smoking body of Bahamut lay charred and lifeless.

The crowd waited to see if either one moved, while Yuna crept towards Ganondorf's still form. She picked up Alucard's sword, the one the Ganondorf has so callously thrown away before. Walking with a slow pace, she was quite cautious, knowing that in at any second the warlock could spring into action and attack her. As she approached her opponent Bahamut's body slowly disappeared, much like Valefor's had.

In the stands, Tidus sat in shock. Rikku, who was on his right, also could not believe what she had just seen. Ganondorf had single-handedly defeated both Valefor and Bahamut, and he may still be alive. It seemed as if Auron was correct after all. No such creature existed in their universe who could evenly match this terrifying man.

On the field, Yuna hoped Ganondorf was still too weak to get up. She heard his heavy breathing as she moved closer. Things started to move for the worse, however, when Ganondorf slowly began to pick himself up. She ran towards him, but The King of Thieves was not caught off guard this time, as he rolled to the right and brought himself into his unique fighting stance.

Ganondorf planted his feet in the earth, brimming with newfound energy. Yuna stumbled forward and took a few seconds to regain her balance. By the time she turned to see where Ganondorf was, it was too late. The wizard raised his heavy foot above the summoner's back and brought it down with a sickening crack.

Yuna's body collapsed onto the ground, her hand losing its grip on Alucard's short sword. The wizard stood over Yuna, who was still breathing. She turned on her back, only to see her fearsome opponent standing over her menacingly.

"Your pets put up a good fight," he said, weakly. "I'll give you a true warrior's defeat."

"Please… don't…" Yuna begged, struggling to get the words out, but was silenced forever as Ganondorf brought his boot down on her head. He felt her warm breath on his leg as she slowly exhaled. He was pleased to hear the crack of bones and the shocked gasps from throughout the crowd. Yuna's right hand, still loosely holding her staff, slowly loosened its hold. After what seemed like minutes, Yuna finally dropped her staff, something she had never done in battle before. Ganondorf nostrils flared as he saw the blood spread in a pool under his boot. His work was done.

He finally removed his foot and wiped the red trail off on the grass as he walked. Tidus and Auron both stood up, followed quickly by Rikku and Alucard. Dante and Vincent watched in silence, as Ganondorf informed the judges' that the girl was indeed dead, taking extreme satisfaction in this fact.

Tidus swore under his breath and Auron drew his sword. In their eyes there was no need for the warlock to kill the girl when he had the fight won anyways. It was just cruel and unnecessary. Each of them could barely contain themselves from rushing down to the field and ending the man's life right then and there.

Ganondorf walked out of the arena as the announcer finally declared him the winner. Auron put his sword on his seat and ran alongside Tidus and Rikku, reaching the floor of the arena. The very least they could do was send Yuna's body back through the portal themselves. They owed the summoner that much.

Vincent, Alucard, and Dante left in silence, as did the rest of the competitors. Many were sickened and hoped to find solace in alcohol, while some quickly went to the training grounds. Only two, besides those on the battlefield, did not immediately leave the arena. The just stared at the scene in silence.

------

Sephiroth sat in his hotel room, awaiting the arrival of his two expected guests. He was seated in his favorite chair, the room dark, his eyes closed, and his mind clear. The One-Winged Angel was breathing in and out, slowly, as if meditating.

His state of calm was interrupted as he heard a knock come from the hotel room door. Sephiroth got up and walked quietly towards the door. He opened it slightly and looked out to see who was there.

Big Boss and Revolver Ocelot stood in the doorway. Big Boss was holding Auron's sword, the Masamune, in his hands. Sephiroth motioned for them to come in and walked to the center of the room. The two men followed him inside, with Ocelot making sure to shut the door behind them.

"We brought the sword, now it's time for you to keep your end of the deal," Big Boss said, no emotion in his voice.

Sephiroth didn't speak. He just nodded and began to perform some sort of spell. Big Boss and Revolver Ocelot had no idea what was happening, but stood silently and waited for the ex-SOLDIER to finish. Two tendrils of dark energy began to flow out from him like a river and inched their way closer to the two men. Rearing up themselves like they were snake heads ready to strike, the dark energy bolted right for their hearts.

Both men showed no indication that they were afraid. Instead, they welcomed the dark power and let it do whatever it was supposed it to do. When the whole process was over, they both felt stronger. The could breath much easier, their thoughts were clearer, and their muscles felt stronger.

"Now go! With that extra boost, the two of you should easily be able to eliminate your competition. Big Boss, you should have it even easier, as Auron will be without his favorite weapon and still distracted by the grisly death of his dear companion," laughed Sephiroth.

'One soul down and I am basically guaranteed to get one tomorrow as well. I may have took a little more time to amass my power, but I will soon catch up to and surpass the others. This is actually going to be quite easy after all.' With nary a sound, Sephiroth indicated that he was done with the two of them and beckoned them to leave. Not wanting to hang around with the unpleasant man any more, the military men did just that.

In the hallway, Big Boss and Revolver Ocelot walked quickly, hoping not to draw any attention. They used the stairs to get to the lobby, not even risking the elevator as someone might spot their uncharacteristic descent from the penthouse. Despite their caution, they were still spotted by someone.

Kratos Aurion watched the two leave Sephiroth's room and waited until they had exited into the stairwell. Kratos knew something was amiss, as Sephiroth would never have entertained any visitors normally, especially the likes of those two. 'Something's going on. Cloud and Sephiroth are both acting strangely. And that Link…' Kratos wondered to himself, hoping to figure out just what was going on before any more bloodshed happened at this tournament. While he might not be the most righteous person here, he did not encourage any wanton murder.

Being careful not to make a sound, he slipped out a window and floated down to the ground below, keeping well to the shadows to avoid detection. He wasn't exactly sure what he needed to do, but he knew this responsibility was too big for him to handle alone. He had to get some help. And fast.


	23. Auron vs Big Boss: Dead Men Walking

**Auron vs. Big Boss: Dead Men Walking**  
By Daredevil3181 and sephsblade_  
_  
He could almost feel the power growing as he stepped ever closer to the top. The stairs seemed to almost go on forever, changing into a spiral as he approached the top. The three winners of the previous contests, now the hosts of this one brimmed with unrivalled strength…

The message had been simple: "Come - I have something to show you". Much more effort had been spent on the messenger, though he was obviously just a hotel employee.

He thought back to the fear on the messenger's face. The site must have been disturbing - the room had been trashed, walls dented, cupboards ripped to shreds… Auron felt embarrassed. To lose his temper like that, just because he couldn't find his sword was unheard of for someone such as himself. Then again, Yuna's death still hurt - after finally being re-united with Tidus, to be taken from this world – it was too much sorrow, even for him. He was surprised no one else had complained about the noise.

Auron looked up to come face to face with an ornately decorated hallway. He was finally here. The door seemed simple, made of a polished and lacquered wood, with three symbols of gold magically attached to its outer surface. On the left side, there was a depiction of a meteor hurtling across space, and on the right lay a symbol of a planet. In the middle, separating the two, were three triangles making up a far larger triangle - the fabled Tri-Force, whose pieces were in the hands of Zelda, Link and…

Auron shoved open the door far harder then he meant too, the sound reverberating around the entrance hall. It too was simple. There were three doors with the full names of the champions to which they belonged to and some drab grey wallpaper.

The door to Sephiroth's room was already open. As he stepped through the threshold, he almost laughed at the sight. Paintings, murals, ancient artifacts of no real use - in trying to show his power, the silver-haired swordsman merely showed his weakness. The man himself seemed to be studying one of the more colorful paintings in the room, impossibly long sword at his side.

"You wanted to see me?" asked Auron in a gruff voice. Sephiroth didn't seem startled at the sudden intrusion upon his personal space. In fact, he was eerily calm, as he had been looking forward to Auron's arrival for the past ten minutes.

"Yes," Sephiroth replied. "But first…I have something to show you." Not bothering to wait for Auron to say any more, he grabbed a remote off his desk and pointed it toward a television monitor situated at the far corner of the suite. With a little flick of his wrist, a black and white picture quickly came into view.

A little puzzled as to why Sephiroth would be showing him an old television program or cheap movie, Auron was about to say something when he looked a little closer at the image displayed. It was HIS ROOM. Well, not the way he had left it now, as it currently looked as if a tornado had blown through, but the way it had been approximately twelve hours prior.

There were two figures rummaging through his stuff. Both of them were male and they appeared to be of an older age. It was dark in the room, which didn't help Auron in identifying the forms, but he could tell from the way they moved exactly who they were: Big Boss and Revolver Ocelot.

As they were methodically going through his things, he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed that any other contestant would have the audacity to go through his personal belongings. What right did they have? He was a respected warrior here and shouldn't be treated the same as some of the common trash that laughingly called themselves combatants.

Suddenly, the one that Auron took to be Big Boss made a motion to Ocelot, instructing him to stop searching. The old man brandished a huge item in his hand and clumsily swung it around in a mock attack. Ocelot dodged to the side and then wagged his finger at his accomplice. The two then placed everything exactly how they had found it and left the hotel room.

"Damn! They were the ones who broke into my room and stole my Masamune," huffed Auron, annoyance evident in his voice. He wasn't truly angry, but he wasn't happy with the situation either. "What do you propose to do about it, Mr. Contest Organizer?"

"I don't propose to do anything," Sephiroth snidely remarked. "What I will do, is give you back your sword." He then reached behind his desk and handed the weapon to the red-coated swordsman, hilt first.

Auron immediately grabbed it, with nary a thanks for its return. As soon as he touched the worn handle he felt a small chill go down his spine and then his vision started to swim. Gripping the back of a nearby chair for support, he steadied himself until the dizzy spell passed.

"Feeling alright?" Sephiroth wondered, not really caring what the answer would be.

"I'll live," Auron replied. He then smiled to himself at the absurdity of that last statement.

"Wonderful. I don't want anyone fainting on my new carpet. I just had these put in the other day. Anyways, I wouldn't worry about the security of your room and belongings any longer. We will be sure to be increase our safeguards. This type of behavior WON'T happen again and is completely out of line. You may leave now."

Auron was about to walk out of the suite when a rather interesting thought struck him.

"How exactly did you say you came by my Masamune again? Awfully convenient for you to just find it lying around somewhere, isn't it?"

"It was brought to me after one of my associates secured it from a common street peddler out in the city. He didn't want to part with it, but after a little 'persuasion' he soon saw things our way. It seems that the little thieves didn't even have enough common decency to keep a powerful weapon such as that in a secure area and return it after the match. Not only did they steal it, they also tried to sell it for some quick cash. Utterly disgusting."

"Sure," said Auron. He didn't wholly believe the silver-haired man, but he didn't have enough evidence to refute his claim either. At least he had his sword back, which was all that mattered.

"Now, don't you have a match to be getting to?" sneered Sephiroth, talking to Auron as if he was a little lost child.

"Don't you have a judging chair to be occupying?" shot back Auron, determined not to give the man any advantage. He then turned around and headed for the stairs, hoping to get as far away from Sephiroth as possible. Just being around that man made Auron's stomach turn.

As he lumbered out, he couldn't help but just feel a little bit…different. Not really so much physically bad, but something was definitely out of sorts. Auron tried to figure out what it might be, yet he had no luck in identifying the source of his malaise.

'Oh well, guess I'll worry about it later,' mused Auron. 'I have a match to win.'

Meanwhile, another set of eyes watched the swordsman's exit with extreme interest. Soon enough their owner made his own way down to the ground floor. He opted to use the elevator rather than enter into the moldy stairwell however.

"Excellent," Sephiroth whispered. "Now let us see just how far that enchantment will take him."

---

Ah, that had been sweet. The greatest warrior his world had ever known looked up at the arena, thinking more of his latest battle than the match that was ahead. Victory, even a belated victory, was oh so sweet.

He was dodging Snake easily, each evasion making the young rookie more and more frustrated. In the basement of Outer Heaven they fought, mano a mano, soldier to soldier. The metallic walls offered no place to hide, no place to run, as the two battled each other fiercely for the future of the world as they knew it.

"You need to learn to control your emotions more, Snake! You're supposed to be a FOXHOUND operative, not a common thug. You think you can stop my dream?"

The younger man was bleeding heavily, his left arm broken. There was still fire in his eyes, the fire of idealism that burned in Big Boss's own mind. It was a pity…It truly was.

Snake leapt, throwing all caution to the wind. Exactly what the mercenary leader was hoping for. He stepped the outstretched hands, grabbing Snake's neck out of thin air - and snapping the neck in an instant.

'Simulation: Outer Heaven finished. Record time. Save for further documentation?"

Big Boss waved with contempt at the bodiless voice. He'd remember this moment so well that he didn't need a paltry recording for it to live in on his memory…

Now he clenched his fist, marveling at the strength this old body now possessed. The power he'd been granted was even beyond his peak as Naked Snake. Sephiroth had truly granted him a strength that was worth more than its weight in gold…

Frowning slightly, he thought about his benefactor. True, the ends did justify the means - The Patriots knew it, he knew it, and everyone apart from his naïve 'son' knew it. But out of all the contenders, he'd trust Solid Snake with his life long before he even gave a glimmer of respect for the son of Jenova.

Still, the power was real - he'd felt little tiredness going blow for blow with Snake, albeit a young and inexperienced simulated Snake. His muscles stretched farther and lasted longer, the sweat no longer felt clammy, as it was instead exhilarating. He had the power to forge his dream once again, one of a soldier's heaven and the Patriot's hell…

And Auron was just one stepping stone on the way to victory here. Yes, he'd use the power for now. But Sephiroth wouldn't be able to use him, and Ocelot, with his links to the Patriots, wouldn't either. Big Boss was back - the man who had surpassed even the Boss was once again a force to be reckoned with.

---

"Are you sure this is the terrain you wish to fight in?" asked the chief technician. The requests only seemed to be getting weirder lately. This one even wanted live animals accompanying his terrain!

"Oh yes, most definitely," replied Big Boss. This would be the perfect environment for him. Although he knew the fight wouldn't take so long, he took pride in knowing that he could survive in a place such as the one he had chosen for weeks if need be.

"Fine, fine, let's just get this over with," Link said as he moved his had at the two combatants as if to say "shoo". He obviously wasn't into this match and was even more bored than usual. Others would kill to be in his shoes as a previous champion, but the Hylian youth merely rolled his eyes at the needless complexity of the whole thing.

The stadium's operator pressed a button on his control pad and the arena's underground terraforming machines immediately went to work. Lush green trees sprang up out of the ground and a small river cut through the center of the battleground. Auron wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that he heard the cries of a few animals coming from the inner reaches of the dense foliage.

'Time to start this, I suppose,' Auron thought. 'It's not an area I feel the most comfortable in, but I'll deal.'

"I'll start on the outer edge of this place," Auron indicated, not even allowing the judges to ask him for his request.

"And I guess that that means I'll start from within," Big Boss sighed, yet he was obviously pleased with his starting position. He could use all the cover he could get, as if his sneak suit and camouflage paint wasn't already enough.

Big Boss began to walk into the steamy setting, chuckling to himself. Before he got very far he turned and stared directly at Auron.

"Be careful. It's a jungle IN there," Big Boss said, and then he raced off into the center, with a speed and grace unfitting a man of his age. He moved as if he was a good 40 years younger and then some.

Auron's eyes tracked his opponent as best they could before he completely blended in with the jungle around him. Sighing to himself, Auron adjusted his sunglasses and gripped the worn hilt of his Masamune. He still felt like something was wrong, but he just couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was that was troubling him.

"Begin!" shouted the announcer, signaling the start of the match.

'Here goes nothing,' Auron told himself. He stepped tentatively into the jungle and was immediately greeted by a trio of hissing snakes. The swordsman basically ignored them until one of the vipers lunged at him. Auron moved to the side, effectively evading its bite, with a frown now on his face.

"Letting the animals do your dirty work now?" called out Auron, hoping that Big Boss could hear him and would come out into the open. He had no such luck, however, as the jungle was just as mysterious as ever. He took another step and was again assaulted by the three snakes, which were now firmly wrapped around a nearby tree.

'I don't have time for this,' Auron thought. He was beginning to get a little annoyed and wanted to finish his opponent off. He reared his sword arm back and in one swift motion brought it forward. The snakes' hissing was no more as their heads were effectively separated from their bodies. At this a weird aura around Auron's sword pulsed for the briefest of seconds. It too was apparently pleased with the animals' deaths.

---

'Back in the jungle, John. Doesn't this bring back memories?'

He moved through the plants like a ghost, avoiding all light and blending in like a chameleon. It was all coming back to him, how he'd survived before…Mines littered the area behind him, each placed where it would take a hawk to see them. More simple traps like wires and pitfalls were present too, everything placed where they could do the maximum amount of damage to Auron.

He smiled as he heard the first explosion. 'The first thing a warrior should know is his battleground, Swordsman - if you don't know that, you don't know anything.' Even so, he was surprised that there was no scream of pain.

He heard his opponent moving around, searching for him. Big Boss knelt down in the long grass, lying like a snake, as he saw a flash of grey hair…

He brought out his silenced pistol, firing one, two, three shots before moving, never staying in one place long enough for the swordsman to locate him. Even so, it took all of his skill to move quickly enough without being heard, as no matter how far away Auron was he somehow managed to be where Big Boss had just been only a split second before, bringing his blade crashing down with unbelievable force on anything that stood in his way.

Something had been nagging at Big Boss for some time, and he finally realized what it was - how did Auron get his sword back? If it wasn't the same one, it was its twin. If he needed further proof of Sephiroth's untrustworthiness, this was it…

He heard his enemy scream. Finally, one of the traps had done something. But it wasn't a scream of pain - what in the name of hellfire was "Dragon Fang" supposed to mean?

He felt his legs cave in as he fell to the ground, a huge shockwave rolling across the ground, making the very earth tremble. He heard explosions from far away and they only added to the force of the attack. He swiftly clambered up a nearby tree to avoid any follow up, scanning the area for his adversary.

He couldn't see his opponent, but he could see all the animals on the ground - each and every one dead. They lacked the resilience that Big Boss himself had. And the explosions were probably his precious mines going off.

The founder of FOXHOUND chuckled to himself. It seemed he'd made a rookie mistake as well - never underestimate your enemy.

---

Auron looked around at the devastation he'd caused. He was dimly aware that he was now wide open, the trees near him felled, making him an enticing target. Slowly, he walked back into the undergrowth, the vegetation acting as it was another foe to be destroyed. He felt cold fury seeping through him, his annoyance reaching a level that it had never reached before in both his mortal life and afterlife. It seemed as if the Chosen's death had affected him even more then he had thought.

But he had to defeat his foe. If need be who would kill Big Boss. It mattered little to him, as all he really wanted to do was kill Ganondorf. Not merely for revenge - Revenge was for the foolish and the young - but to stop him before he hurt anyone else. For the first time since losing Braska and Jecht, Auron was pissed off.

Bringing up his sword, he cut swathes through the jungle, producing more fallen trees, as the Masamune cut through them as if they were as insubstantial as air. If Big Boss was going to continue his cowardly guerrilla tactics, then Auron was going to destroy the cover he craved.

---

"Wow. Auron's really going at it, huh?"

Rikku stood up from her VIP seat, craning over the front wall to look down at the battle below and ignoring the cries of outrage from those sitting behind her. For the first time since the battle had begun, the spectators could actually see something happening down on the ground. Up until now screens had shown camera footage of the jungle, tracking down either Big Boss or Auron. But now with the swordsman's action, things were finally starting to heat up.

Even Tidus had started paying attention, even though he was still mourning the loss of Yuna. But this was not like Auron - true, it was a clever thing to do, but it seemed to be too rash and hasty for Tidus' old mentor.

He sighed. He should have realized in his grief that Auron had to be feeling pain as well. Even his old friend could feel sadness…

---

Big Boss was starting to feel tense. Auron was destroying the jungle, had destroyed most of his traps, and somehow had managed to avoid all of his shots without missing a beat, no matter how accurately the old mercenary fired. Things were starting to fall apart for him, and if he wanted to win, he'd have to act. And fast.

He pulled out a weapon he'd thought he'd never see again – one which boasted full auto fire, small recoil, and 5.56mm x 45 ammunition. Designed and developed for his mentor, it was the most deadly weapon in his arsenal - the Patriot. No matter what magic or witchcraft Auron possessed, there was no way in hell he could avoid slugs from this firearm.

Running through the jungle without even rustling the leaves, Big Boss found his prey. He couldn't help but marvel at his foe's strength as he kneeled down, aiming the gun. It had been a good fight, warrior against warrior - but it ended now.

Auron stopped suddenly, taking a step back and throwing Big Boss' aim off for a split second. And that split second was all that the warrior required in order to unleash his most powerful attack…

"Tornado."

The leader of Zanzibar Land threw himself to the ground, as the gentle breeze that had been playing through the arena turned into a cyclone, the wind uprooting trees and grass and threatening to pull up Big Boss as well. But that wasn't the end of it. Auron took out his jug of - of whatever he seemed to like to drink so much - and threw it into the twister. Somehow, this caused the entire thing to catch fire. It created an inferno which raged mere millimeters over the FOXHOUND founder's head, scorching the suit on his back.

And when it ended, there was nothing left except him and Auron, staring at each other face to face.

Big Boss' eyes narrowed. There was but one chance he had to win - to disarm his opponent. He doubted very much that the samurai was trained in Close Quarter Combat, and without his precious Masamune he would be a sitting duck for the Patriot's fire. And so he ran before Auron turned around, moving faster than he thought possible. Finally, he leapt, his hands reaching forward for the throat of his opponent.

Without even turning around, Auron's hand moved, grabbing Big Boss by the neck, while his other hand moved toward his sword faster than Big Boss thought possible.

He was dimly aware of being thrown to the ground, a bleeding stump where his left leg used to be. He shunted aside the pain, instead staring up at his foe. Rather than the invigorating energy that had coursed through his veins before, he felt tired now. His newfound strength was leaving him, no doubt exactly how that double-crossing Sephiroth had planned.

He'd expected it sooner, really - he wouldn't have been surprised if that traitor Ocelot, the Boss' true son, had already turned his back on his old comrade and found employment with the tournament host. But, at least he'd live. Auron was not the type to kill a man in cold blood, especially someone who had meant the best for the world like Big Boss had. He'd live until it was time to go back to his world, a world where he was already presumed de-

Auron raised his sword above his head, intent on finishing off his foe once and for all.

Big Boss licked his lips and desperately began to search for a way out of his predicament. "You've won, warrior. You don't need to take my life to prove that. I surrender."

Auron hesitated for a second, almost as if he was digesting his opponent's plea. Suddenly a flash of anger flickered across Auron's eyes and sword. This was so unlike the Auron Big Boss had seen before the battle - he was disappointed. He expected a far more controlled and experienced adversary and one who wouldn't let his emotions get the best of him.

"I don't think so," Auron said coldly. "I only spare the lives of people worth living. And in someone such as yourself, that's not the case. Farewell, you despicable man."

"Well, well. To fight again on the battlefield against a fellow warrior, was more then I had hoped for," Big Boss sighed, resigning himself to his fate. "Go forward, warrior - listen to the blood and let rage guide you, it will only end up being your undoing." And with that Auron's sword came down on to Big Boss' exposed neck, separating his head from his shoulders and silencing the old man forever.

In the stands, Sephiroth smiled. People were shocked at this uncharacteristic behavior from the samurai and it couldn't have pleased him more. Everything he had planned for this match had worked. All his effort had not been in vain. Even the mighty Auron stood no chance against the machinations of the son of Jenova.

---

The match had been quite tense, but as people were filing out of the arena, they couldn't help but feel a little down. Whether it was the uncharacteristic actions of Auron or the sneaky hit and run tactics of Big Boss, the most recent battle just didn't feel right. One person in particular realized the gravity of the situation and was sitting on a bench just outside the stadium, reflecting on what she had just seen.

She failed to notice the green clad warrior behind her as he slowly inched his way ever closer. He was about to touch her on the shoulder when he was suddenly overcome with an intense power. His body glowed blue for a split second as the magical energy that assaulted him pushed him to his knees. When he arose once more, he appeared drained and was breathing heavily.

"Who's there?" asked Zelda, suddenly alerted to the presence behind her.

"It's just…me…Princess," Link answered, still panting a little. He was recovering some of the strength he had just lost, but he still looked a little out of sorts.

"Link, are you OK? You look like you've just run a marathon."

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Link said, putting on a smile to calm his long-time companion's fears. She didn't totally believe him, but she could tell it was pointless to press the issue any further. The Hylian man could be quite secretive at times.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure of this chat?" Zelda mused, preferring to get right down to the core of the meeting. Although they had been close, it wasn't every day that Link came around to talk to anyone about anything, much less her.

"It's about your match," Link began. "Unless you change your outlook on things here, you're going to lose."

"What do you mean?" Zelda shot, beginning to get defensive. "My outlook on these proceedings is just fine. I assess what is best for the common good and react accordingly."

"That's just the problem," explained Link. "This is a TOURNAMENT. It's one thing to go around and save Hyrule for the 'good of the people'. But to carry around those ideals in a place like this is just ludicrous."

"And what do you propose I do?" wondered Zelda, a little angry and intrigued at the same time.

"You've seen the way some of these monsters fight around here. If you want to have any chance at all of advancing you need to release your true potential. And the only way to do that is to fight for yourself and yourself alone. Don't be concerned with the wishes and desires of others. They'll only drag you down."

"Are you saying you want me to become selfish?" yelled Zelda. "Abandon the needs of the people?"

"For lack of better words, yes," Link sighed. "Look Zelda, I know this is all hard for you to process, but I'm doing this for your own good. I don't want you to go away anytime soon, but if you don't follow my advice that's exactly what will happen."

"What do you know?" Zelda huffed. "Sitting there in your big chair and watching all of these matches happen with feigned boredom. You're not fooling anyone, Little Kokiri!"

"Zelda, please, at least consi-"

"This conversation is over," the princess said coldly. Link had heard that tone before and just stopped what he was going to say. Once her mind was set there was no use arguing, as all it would accomplish would be to give him a sore throat.

Zelda locked eyes with Link one last time and then stormed off, presumably back to the hotel.

"Just think about what I said," Link called out. "At the very least give it a chance, as I'm only trying to help you out." Zelda merely "Hmphed" at this last statement.

'I tried, I really did,' thought Link. 'But at the very least her match isn't for another two days. Hopefully by then she'll have wisened up and understood what I've told her to be true. I need to start making a few plans and I'll need all the help I can get. I might get her soul if I had allowed things to continue as they were supposed to, but a soul is useless to me when I'd rather have a living body along to accompany it.' Looking down at the ground, Link merely stared at a few rocks while trying to plot out his next move. Whatever happened, he knew he was going to be very busy over these next few days.


	24. Snake vs Manny Calavera: Under Pressure

_**At The End Of The World**_

"Manny Calavera: F+ rating."

Sighing, the dead 'travel agent' looked out at the arena through the doors of his little…changing room? Preparation room? Whatever. Out there, after so long, he'd be forced to fight AGAIN - this time not even for a real purpose.

"Why do I continue to get stuck in these things? I'm dead. When do I get to the resting in piece part?"

Glumly, he continued reading the data, the information that Gordon Freeman had carelessly spread to every competitor in the contest and probably everyone else who could read.

"'Manny Calavera has no combat ability of any kind, whatsoever. Those who he HAS killed (or killed again, I should say) were killed mostly due to luck. However, he is very good at using the terrain and obstacles to his advantage, and due to already being dead is probably tougher then the average human, and therefore does not receive a full F.' Well, I suppose it could be worse. He could have written a three page thesis on why my mother is a goat."

Shaking his skeletal head, Manny reminisced on simpler times, when all he had to worry about was Domino being a jerk and his sad, hopeless situation. Manny wasn't a weakling, but he wasn't a big guy either, and this Snake guy had training and experience and guns and stuff like that. Manny, meanwhile, had a fairly dull scythe and experience at being dead. No contest.

"'Solid Snake: A rating. Despite a lack of magical abilities that so many of the other 'big guns' of the contest have, with his stealth, speed, and almost uncanny ability to read the actions of his enemies, Snake is one of the most dangerous of the returning competitors. I pity the poor fool who goes up against this guy without some serious firepower'. Thanks. Thanks a bunch."

The only way he could beat Snake was by using his brain, and from what Manny had seen Snake was no idiot like Domino. He had to think of something - he didn't want to kill the guy, but he did want to prove himself no pushover. There must be SOME way to win.

'There's ALWAYS a way... no matter how stupid,' Manny thought.

---

Snake watched as his first opponent talked to Cloud across the arena. It'd be interesting to see what the arena became - it was unlikely that Calavera would gain a big enough advantage to beat him, but it made no sense to be careless.

For once he had brought no sniper rifle or the other silent weapons he'd used so many times before, apart from his trusty Mk23. This was no infiltration mission and no damn on-site procurement. This was a one-on-one duel and he was facing a man already long dead. One bullet was unlikely to stop him. He was carrying grenades, machine guns, and the stinger rocket launcher. The extra weight bothered him - it wasn't exactly suited for the stealth operation Snake preferred - but it was probably the only way of destroying that paper mache skeleton...

Snake had a brief flash of pity- the other guy wasn't a fighter, a warrior born on the battlefield like himself. He was just an everyday guy dragged into this contest; pitted against a veteran of more battles then the former FOXHOUND operator cared to remember. He quickly his emotions. A long-winded battle probably wouldn't even occur, as it would be more than likely all he'd have to do would be to scare his civilian opponent till he surrendered.

Finishing talking, Calavera got back to his starting position. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the chief technician shouting to his subordinates. Heaps of rock grew out of the ground, the trembling almost knocking Snake off his feet. When it was over, he couldn't see anything ahead apart from walls of rock.

'Nice choice - the way those rocks overhang gives plenty of space to hide. Of course, it'll help me more then it'll help him. What the hell is he thinking?'

_As if in answer, the air in the arena suddenly turned a deep blue. Snake blinked a few times and, he saw everything around him start to shimmer slowly, as if he was…_

'UNDERWATER!'

_**Under Pressure**_

'…Well, at least I can breath.'

It seemed the purpose of the protective forcefield surrounding the arena was to contain the water - or whatever it was- that was rapidly filling the battle area, making the stadium look like one of those games the swordsman Tidus played.

He reasoned that the technicians wouldn't allow the environmental terrain to kill him, but, with a sinking feeling, Snake realised that wasn't why his opponent had chosen this fighting condition.

Taking out a suppressed Kalashnikov, the stealth agent experimentally tried firing a shot at the arena wall - and with grim resignation threw the rifle away. He quickly rid himself of most of his portable armoury as the Kalashnikov floated down gently to the floor. Almost all his weapons were waterlogged, rendering them completely useless. The Stinger was now just an extremely bulky heap of metal, and the grenades would have to be so close to their target so that he could taste them in order to have any actual effect.

One of the few weapons that would operate under water, the Mk23 SOCOM handgun, would still be useful - but would a few bullet holes have any effect on the dead Mexican? Killing zombies wasn't exactly familiar territory. He should have tried coaxing a little information from Leon Kennedy before this match.

'Heh. Never thought I'd be in a situation where cheesy "B" horror movies would help…'

---

Manny looked up at the reaction of the audience above, a smile on his face - obviously the environment was having the desired effect. He was no gun expert, but he thought it a pretty safe bet that firearms wouldn't work very well when filled with water (well, apart from water guns, which work very well filled with water, but that was a risk he was willing to take).

Some people might have thought his choice of a battleground was a little unfair. Regardless, even with a slightly more level playing field Manny knew he hadn't even gotten close to evening the odds.

Reaching into his expensively tailored jacket ( the one that he'd bought in Rubacava at the height of his Café's success) he brought out his one and only weapon - the scythe that he kept near where his internal organs weren't.

He didn't like taking people's deaths into his own hands, but… Hey, the Land of the Dead wasn't so bad once you got used to it. Maybe this Snake guy might come to even LIKE it.

His musings were cut short as, from out of the shadows, Solid Snake slammed Manny's head with the broadside of a Stinger Missile Launcher. He had moved fast, despite the water, and had succeeded in knocking the travel agent down to the ground. Manny instantly sprung up, waving his scythe wildly in the direction of the attack. This of course accomplished absolutely nothing except for him embedding his scythe into nearly five tons of rock.

Smiling nervously, the skeleton slowly turned to find himself looking straight into the barrel of a gun.

'Hey, this guy's pretty good. I mean, it's not dark here, there're no holes in the rock or anything- and I couldn't see jack. Eh, he's better then good.'

"Hey, compadre, we're underwater. You can't scare me - the gun doesn't…"

In a move quicker then the eye could follow, Snake smoothly aimed the weapon to the right, firing a shot that made a very distinct pinging sound against the wall.

"Okaaaaaay. Could you wait until I get this scythe out of the rock? You're not going to shoot an unarmed man, are you?"

Snake blinked. For the first time Manny had seen of the guy, his stony exterior cracked just a little. When the veteran infiltrator replied, his voice almost sounded amused (from what Manny could hear through the garbling that is. It was kind of hard to talk through a few lungfuls of water…even if that water was oxygenated).

"_Why the hell should I? A), you're not a real ma n- you're a walking corpse. B), you've got the advantage in this place. And C), you're the idiot who stuck your own scythe there in the first place."_

Manny hesitated, trying to find some way for him to talk his way out of this situation.

"…Because I'm such a wonderful guy?"

Throwing himself to the ground and crumpling up his suit (Why in the name of infierno did I wear this thing?), Manny rolled awkwardly around the corner. The only thing this action was able to do, besides completely failing to avoid the bullet tearing through his rib cage, was further ruin his already damaged suit.

"…Ah, I'm too old for this. And dead. Too old AND dead for this."

---

Snake shook his head slightly as he watched Manny running around the nearest corner. He was right - one little hole didn't seem to do anything to the dead man, which meant he'd have to chase the guy down.

Running after someone wasn't Snake's style. Slowly creeping up on someone or quickly running a short distance while a guard blinked for a split second - he'd done those plenty of times. But actually running after someone…?

It reminded him of when he'd fought his old comrade for the second time. Grey Fox, finally turned against his master, dying in the death throes of Metal Gear - then being revived as the perfect soldier by a bunch of sociopaths. Hmm… it seemed pretty much all of FOXHOUND, apart from himself and Colonel Campbell, had defected in some way or another. Even HE was now an enemy of the Patriots...

Wait - Grey Fox - he HAD fought a zombie before, after all. Of course, his experience with the person formerly known as Frank Jaeger probably wasn't going to help in all honesty.

Throwing the Stinger launcher to the side, Snake brought out the only weapon he had left that would cause any damage: straight-forward, normal 'Pineapple' grenades.

'These WILL knock you out of the fight. So help me, if I have to jam them down what's left of your throat, kid…Well, I've done worse.'

---

'You've been in some pretty bad situations before, but being chased by a heavily armed combat veteran who's faster than you and can hide out in plain sight has gotta be in the top ten somewhere. You should have thought further ahead, Manny - disable most of his stuff…and then what? Have a party? Re-organise your filing system? Screw this. I'm going to die – AGAIN - like a man. Show them all that you've got cajones. At least that way I can say I went out with a bang.'

Manny stopped for a couple of seconds, taking a deep breath - a completely symbolic gesture, really. Resolutely, he turned around, arms raised up in a mockery of a boxer's stance, and began running back the way he came.

The skeleton leaped out from behind the corner and made a half hearted jab with his left arm, making sure to accompany all of this with a less than blood-curdling scream: "Rargh and all that!"

But he couldn't see Snake. Had Snake gone the other way to try and ambush him? Or...Oh no...

A strong and very alive arm wrapped itself around his neck, rendering any plan of attack he could devise totally and utterly useless.

_He heard a voice near his ear - the whispers seemed to sound almost like Domino Hurley's, but without the sneering arrogance..._

"Nothing to say now? Your tongue rotted away?"

Manny grinned as only a skull could.

"Everything else may be gone, serpiente_, but I can still talk the legs off a millipede-"_

Snake's other hand slammed into his throat, pulling out again almost as quickly as it went it. He then shoved the travel agent away, bringing up his gun to point it at the lively corpse in one smooth motion.

Manny frowned, trying to see what he did. Why the hell would he try to choke a dead guy, unless...

"Ah. A grenade, right? Nice plan. Looks like I've finally found a smartass smarter than me."

Snake grinned for a second, struggling to force his whole face from erupting into a full-blown smile. Holstering the gun, the member of Philanthropy nodded slightly.

"…I have to say it. For an unarmed, untrained, unfit corpse - you did pretty well, kid. See you in hell, Manny."

Manny couldn't stop a grin himself, despite what was about to happen.

" Count on it."

He reached into his jacket. He was amused by Snake's reaction, as the mercenary steadied his gunhand at the skeleton as if he was readying himself for another attack. Must have thought Manny was going to pull out a gun...

Instead, Manny took out a pamphlet, dropping it by Snake's feet. Winking, he stepped backward, lazily waving goodbye.

"It's a travel leaflet - when you die, look me up, alright?"

A muffled explosion sounded throughout the water and then the world turned white once again for Manny Calavera - this time there would be no coming back...

__

The bar was almost empty now - only the hard drinkers were left. Auron sat in the corner, silently drinking his sake, looking far more dangerous and out of control than he ever did before his match. Conker was swaying slightly and cursing the world in general. The rest of the patrons were just staring into their glasses. But Snake was still on the same drink he was on hours ago, as he thought...

He was the first person to win his match without a scratch. He should be happy. In previous contests he'd survived by the skin of his teeth, barely in better condition than his opponents. True, he'd had to kill his opponent, but seeing as how Manny was already dead, he doubted it mattered that much.

But this time something was wrong. Snake hadn't seen Yuri going back, but Wesker - he'd seen Wesker, awake but unmoving, thrown back into the portal leading to his world. The boy he'd faced, Lloyd Irving, wasn't capable of doing THAT to a man. Something else had happened to him...

Cloud, meanwhile, seemed far stronger then he'd ever been. Snake had lasted long enough in the previous contests to see the swordsman cut swathes through his opponents, but even then he had his limitations - Link had showed he was beatable. But now, something was happening, and Snake had no idea what. And that not knowing part made him really uneasy.

Not only had Cloud showed an increase in skill, but Big Boss had displayed power far beyond what he should have...

No matter what his feelings, Snake knew Big Boss had been an even greater warrior than himself in his prime, plus he had his belief in 'Outer Heaven', however mistaken, fuelling him even more...But even so, an old man shouldn't have done that well against Auron.

Looking to the left, he saw that Kratos Aurion, who wasn't exactly a great drinker himself, was staring at him - had been for a while, probably. The warrior of Cruxis inclined his head towards the door, before leaving himself, showing no signs of drunkenness as he passed the now unconscious squirrel.

Snake smiled to himself. Of course, he should have realised that everyone else wasn't completely blind. He followed the angelic warrior to a secluded area outside...

---

"What the hell should I do?"

The path was quiet. Link spent most of the time in the forest surrounding the city. Bustling urban centres just weren't him.

The Hero of Time, The Wind Waker, The Chosen one - call him what you will - he was starting to get sick of being a hero. He was stuck between a psychopathic swordsman who had a screwed up relationship with his mother and a normally good guy who was blindly and naively following some cloaked moron...

A cloaked moron who seemed to get a tremendous kick out of pitting Cloud and Sephiroth against each other. And as they kept going with their stupid fight, the souls of those caught in the crossfire were getting consumed and defiled...

"Just who the HELL are you?" Link muttered into the air.

Nothing. He didn't really expect an answer. He thought about his conversation with Zelda from the previous day.

"For the love of Din, I'm a fighter not a thinker. But whatever the hell those two idiots are up to..."

Stopping, he held up his left hand, and looked at the blazing triangle that was there - The Triforce of Courage.

"I've got to stop them. How, I don't know - but whatever it takes, I've got to stop them. First things first though, I need to make sure Zelda listened to my advice from yesterday. If she hasn't, she's going to lose…I know, because I've seen it with my own two eyes. And as much as I hate to admit it, I could use all the help and support I can get right now."

---

"_You got any idea what's the hell's going on?"_

The two fighters stared into the river that idly cut its way through the city. Strange, Snake hadn't seen it before. Maybe this place, whatever it was, needed to be self sufficient and required its own water supply. Or maybe those who designed the place just thought a river was pretty.

Without moving his eyes, Kratos broke the silence that surrounded them.

"No. But I do know something is going on. As do you."

A smile tugged at Snake's lips. "At least that's something. But you're the spiritual fighter, or whatever the hell you call it - you must have seen something."

The former user of the Eternal Blade looked up into the sky, the moon shining in his eyes as he hesitated with his response.

"…I see those who have left here alive, if you want to call it living. There is no longer that spark of life behind their eyes. Their souls seem to have left them. I saw Manny being taken away, a pile of bones, but still chattering away nonetheless, and then I saw a blue streak speed away as his bones where thrown inside the dimensional portal. There was something very odd about that blue flash..."

Snake finally looked at Auron, his eyes narrowing.

"What?"

The swordsman looked back, concern etched on his face.

"…It looked exactly like Calavera."

Snake laughed to himself without a trace of humour.

"It's time for us to collect some more information about our hosts. I somehow think their intentions aren't what you or I would call honourable in regards to their contestants' welfare…"

---

Past the Land of the Dead, in the place that no living being knows about, resided the soul of a woman, who in life - and in the Land she passed through to finally get to her reward - was called Mercedes Colomar. Waiting for the one who spent so long trying to save her, the one who had spent so much time trying to get to this final destination of all souls, the one who was pulled out of this place for a meaningless contest - and the one whose soul was taken by the failed SOLDIER. Unfortunately for her, she was also waiting for one who would never return. For what use could a person be in the Land of the Dead without a soul?


	25. Vivi vs Zelda: Brains and Brawn

**Vivi vs. Zelda: Brains and Brawn**_  
By Daredevil3181 (and a cameo piece by Brett With Atreyu)_

Zelda took a long, hard look in the mirror. What she saw certainly wasn't very becoming of a princess. Her hair was a mess and she had deep circles under her eyes. For some reason she hadn't been sleeping well since she had arrived in Grandis Somnium; last night was particularly bad.

'It always seems like something's eating away at the back of my mind here,' observed Zelda. 'Maybe it's something in the air, but it seems that whatever it is, the Triforce of Wisdom totally opposes it.'

She took out her hairbrush and began combing out the knots that had lodged themselves in her golden locks. There were so many of them that by the time she was done, her brush had enough hair in it that she might have been able to knit a sweater for a small child. Sighing, she put the little torture device down and took out her small make-up kit. She was never a fan of wearing anything heavy, but she was royalty and felt the need to slightly accent a few of her better features. Besides, those raccoon eyes simply wouldn't do.

The Hylian princess was just about done applying her base when she heard a knock at the door, causing her to smear the gunk across the side of her face. How dare someone disturb a princess this early in the morning! It was just past sunrise! Muttering under her breath, she made her way to the door, fully intending to give this unwanted caller a piece of her mind.

"Who do you think you are coming around here at this hour? I'll have you know-" Zelda stopped in midsentence when she realized who it was. "Oh…it's you. You can come in, I suppose."

"Thanks," Link said, obviously exhausted as he made his way over to her bed and collapsed onto it. "I couldn't sleep at all last night. And from the looks of things, neither did you."

"Yes, well, I was just about fixing myself up before I was so rudely interrupted." Zelda turned back toward the mirror with a scowl on her face and wiped up her excess make-up. She was trying her best to ignore her long-time companion as much as possible.

"Look, Zelda, I wanted to apolo-"

"It's not that easy," Zelda interrupted. "What you asked of me before was uncalled for. I'm still mad at you and I don't feel much like talking right now."

Link was about to say something in retort, but he somehow managed to hold his tongue. There was no point in losing his cool in this situation. No…this was a matter that he would have to approach delicately.

"What if I told you that I know why you haven't been sleeping lately?" Link calmly stated. "What if I said that I know of your nightmares? And how they have only been getting worse as time has gone on?"

"But, uh…" Zelda sputtered. "H-how did you know about those? I haven't told a soul!" She paused for a second and then her pretty brow furrowed in anger. "Have you been spying on me!"

"No, no, no," Link hastily explained, praying that he could defuse this ticking time bomb. "Why would I do that to you, of all people? No way! I know about the nightmares…because I've been having them too."

"You little…what?" Zelda blinked in confusion, obviously taken aback by his response. "For how long? And what did you see?"

"Ever since I've been here, " Link said. "And seeing as how us organizers arrived a good while before you contestants did, all I can say is that my mental anguish is torture. I've been able to force myself to sleep, but only through sheer force of will. Otherwise I'd be a lot worse off than I am now. As for what I saw, every time I just wake up in a cold sweat and can't remember anything at all. All I know is, it's something very unpleasant."

"And you said you know why we've been so troubled at night?" Zelda prodded. The young man had really piqued her interest and she wanted to find out all the information she could.

"Show me your right hand," instructed Link. Zelda did as he asked, but she honestly couldn't see anything different about it than when she arrived at the Tournament. The Triforce symbol looked exactly as how she remembered it.

"Link, this is silly. I don't-"

Her words were cut off by a flash of blue coming from the symbol. It flickered for a second and then returned to its normal color. Link said not a word, but held out his own left hand. The two waited for what seemed like an eternity, neither one daring to breathe for fear of negating the phenomenon they had just seen. The duo was about to break out of their stilted poses when another flash occurred, but this time there were two. Zelda's was blue, Link's was green, and they were perfectly in synch.

"The Triforce doesn't like something around here and it's flat-out telling us so," Link stated. "In fact, I'd be willing to bet Ganondorf's hand is doing the exact same thing underneath his glove."

"What is it reacting to, though?" wondered Zelda aloud.

"I don't know," Link conceded. "But we need to find out. Zelda…this is the whole reason I asked you to change your fighting approach in the first place. We need to get to the bottom of this."

"You also think I'm some silly damsel in distress," the princess said coolly. "Not able to defend myself…always in need of a savior."

"Zelda, could you get off your high horse and listen to what I have to say for a second?" Link snarled, with a little more venom than he would have liked. The Hylian woman was really trying his patience. "You're not the damsel in distress this time. I AM. I'm the one asking YOU for help."

"You…you really mean that?" asked Zelda, touched that her friend was placing so much trust in her.

"Yeah, I do," affirmed Link. "Promise me, Zelda. Promise me you'll go all out against Vivi and stay here. Promise me you'll help me get to the bottom of this mess and end these nightmares. Promise me-"

The Hero of Time would say no more as Zelda pressed herself close and enveloped him in a crushing hug.

---

Vivi lay on the grass, staring into the sky. He had been there for quite some time and was enjoying the fleeting moments of peace. He heard the footsteps of someone coming and lifted his head up a little to see that it was Zidane.

Zidane sat down next to Vivi. "Hi." Vivi didn't say anything. "What are you doing?" Still nothing. "Your match is in an hour. Are you ready?" This, finally, got a response out of Vivi.

"Yes. I am."

"So, what do you have planned for this Zelda? The Firaga is a classic, I think-"

Vivi cut Zidane off with his hand, shaking his head. "Actually…I haven't really put a lot of thought into the match."

Zidane sputtered, "But you said you were ready!"

"I am. To be honest, it wouldn't annoy me that much to lose today."

Zidane really didn't know what to say. "Why? Why don't you care if you lose, Vivi?"

Vivi answered quickly, making it obvious that he had gone over it many times in his mind. "There is no point in fighting. What is there to gain? Respect from other fighters? If I'm secure in my own strength, I don't need their respect. A chance to enhance your skills? I could easily enhance my skills back at home fighting monsters, and I could do it a lot quicker than I can here, as I don't have to wait days before fighting. The right to sponsor the tournament? I wouldn't enjoy having to spend half a year living in this place, picking and choosing the most worthy opponents, just to be claimed the best."

Zidane was silent for a while, taking all this in. "Well…you have some good points there, Vivi. I guess if you don't want to fight that much, you can always forfeit-"

Vivi shook his head. "I'm not forfeiting."

"Why?"

Vivi shrugged. "I don't know. Despite the fact that I know this is pointless, I still have a desire to fight. It's like the Festival of the Hunt. I didn't really want anything to do with it at first, but once it started, I tried as hard as I could to win. Although you signing me up for it without asking first might have had something to do with it."

Zidane grinned. "Well…yeah." He decided to lie down as well, as he was growing tired of sitting. "And about your desire to win…it's just human nature, I guess. We love to win and hate to lose, whether we care about what we're competing in or not."

The two just laid there for a while, before Zidane decided to break the silence.

"So…your opponent is just some princess from a castle? It looks like an easy win to me; she doesn't appear to be anything special."

Vivi shook his head once again. "Neither did Dagger."

Zidane couldn't think of anything to say to this, so Vivi continued talking. "You may not sense her power, but I do. She possesses tremendous magical energy, enough to defeat many different foes."

Zidane was confused. "Yeah, but you have strong magical powers as well, more than anyone I've ever seen, except for maybe Kuja. I don't see why you're so worried."

"I'm going to lose."

Zidane sat up, looking at Vivi. "Lose? What do you mean you know you're going to lose?"

"Normally, our powers are about equal. But just recently, I've sensed a change in her attitude. She isn't just powerful, she's determined…and that's much more important. Her desire to win this fight is much, much stronger than mine."

Zidane sighed. He had wanted Vivi to stay in it a little while longer, but if the little guy was so sure he would lose, chances are, he would.

"Also…she's a girl."

Zidane's ears perked up at the mention of the word "girl". "What do you mean, Vivi?"

"Well…Zidane, you always told me the way to get girls was to be nice to them. How can I do that if I'm fighting her?"

Zidane's jaw dropped and he started moving his hand in front of him, as if to ward off Vivi. "Wait…no…that's not…what I meant…this isn't…"

Vivi laughed, which made Zidane stop in an instant. "Heh…sorry, Zidane. I'm just joking with you." Zidane smiled. It wasn't every day you got a laugh out of Vivi.

Vivi stood up, dusted himself off, and started to walk towards the arena. "Well, I'd better pack my stuff and bring it with me to the arena, just in case. And Zidane…"

Zidane nodded, urging Vivi to continue.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this before, but…thanks for being my friend." And, just like that, he was off.

Zidane smiled again, lying down on the grass. "No, Vivi. Thank you."

---

"So where do you want to fight?" asked Link. He normally was completely uncaring toward his whole role in this tournament. But today was different. Today he was actually rooting for a friend.

"The Temple of Time," Zelda replied, a twinkle in her eye. Not only would she feel at home in such a place, but it also would offer her a close-quarter combat area. Vivi had tons of magical power, but such attacks would only be effective if he could keep the woman at a distance.

The little black mage's eyes went wide as the structure materialized out of thin air. It was beautifully designed and seemed to contain some sort of spiritual power. Normally the environments were recreations of places familiar to certain contestants, but this one was different. It was almost as if it was pulled from the very land of Hyrule itself.

"Vivi…Vivi…Hey you!" shouted Link.

"Um…yes?" asked Vivi, wondering what he did to anger the judge.

"You need to pick your starting position," instructed Cloud. "People are waiting."

"Oh…right," Vivi said. He looked at the scenery and then back down at his feet. After he shuffled them on the ground for a little, he made up his mind. "I'll start outside."

'The little guy is smarter than I thought,' Zelda observed. 'He knows he'd be at a disadvantage inside that place. I wonder what else he's thinking right now…'

'I really like the flowers out here,' thought Vivi. 'If I was inside I wouldn't be able to enjoy them at all.'

"I'll also start outside, but on the opposite side," Zelda said. Her eyes blazed with fire as she moved to her starting position. Link was trusting her to take this battle and she couldn't let him down.

"Good luck," Sephiroth sneered. "Not like I really care which of you weaklings ends up victorious."

"The two combatants have made their decisions!" the announcer boomed. "And now it's time to really heat things up! Break out the fire department, because I have a feeling this match is going to be smoking!"

"Remind me why we pay him again?" groaned Cloud.

"You know what? I really don't know either," answered Sephiroth.

"Here…we…GO!" And just like that, the fight had begun.

---

Zelda rushed in but was halted by a wall of fire that sprung up in front of her. To her relief, the flames dissipated just as quickly as they appeared. It seemed as if Vivi enjoyed their distance and wanted to keep it that way at all costs.

'So, you want to play the long-range game?' thought Zelda. 'Not a bad idea, but I'm no novice to such tactics myself.'

The princess gathered up some fiery energy in her hand. When it had reached a sufficient level, she let the orb free. Vivi quickly scrambled out of the projectile's way, thinking that he had avoided the worst of it. He was sorely mistaken, though, as the globe crashed into him with a heated burst.

'She…she can mentally control the trajectory of those things,' Vivi reasoned, as he rubbed his singed back. 'That means I'll have to stop them before they even get here.'

Zelda gathered more magic into her fingertips and sent three more Din's Fires at the little mage. Vivi tapped his staff and send out an equal number of ice shards. The two forces collided with each other and vanished in a puff of smoke. Vivi was about to smile when he caught two more orbs out of the corners of his eyes. It seemed that the previous attacks were merely diversions.

Vivi spun around and called upon a miniature meteor shower. The chunks of rock barreled into the nearby area. He winced as the side of the temple's entranceway was demolished. He hadn't meant to destroy the beautiful structure. He only wanted to protect himself from Zelda's attacks.

Vivi turned back around, but he couldn't find the princess anywhere. All he could see was a green speck floating in the distance. Suddenly, the Hylian materialized right next to him. Before the mage could react, she planted her palms into his chest and sent an electrical shock into her opponent.

Black magic could only attack, not defend. Vivi regretted this fact very much as he could do nothing but brace himself for impact as he sailed into the damaged doorway. He hit the hinges with a crack and then slid down to the ground. Steadying himself, he shook off the remaining magical currents and struggled to his feet. He was bruised, but nowhere near out of the fight.

Scanning the area, he again saw a green speck in the air.

"Not this time," Vivi said. He raised his staff high and called upon a torrent of thunder to rain down around him. Zelda appeared right in the middle of it and paid a hefty price. Her hair stood on end as she was assaulted by the clever counterattack. Wincing in pain, she recalled herself to her green marker before the mage could repeat his electrical storm.

'Uggghhh…that wasn't fun,' Zelda observed. 'But at least my strategy is working. Just a little closer…'

Vivi was refusing to budge, however. He had his staff readied and was waiting for her to move first. It was odd for an offensive magic user to be playing defense. But then again, Vivi Ornitier wasn't your typical black mage.

"You seem to have a natural resistance to magic," Zelda called out. "But let's see how your physical defenses are!" Making a fist with her right hand, she called upon the Triforce of Wisdom's power. Her form shimmered for a second and when it solidified, she had transformed into her Sheik attire.

Sheik reached into her suit and grabbed a handful of slim needles. With a quick flick of her wrist, she sent them on a straight path towards her opponent. Vivi ran behind the door, taking cover from the barbed weapons. He sighed in relief as they clattered harmlessly to the ground. Then his eyes went wide as he realized he had trapped himself inside an enclosed space.

Sheik ran inside the temple at an almost inhuman speed. Vivi put his arms up, trying to protect himself from the ensuing impact. This act was in vain, though, as his opponent grabbed a hold of him and proceeded to slam his body against a wall.

Vivi shook his head, trying to clear the stars away. He was now in a tiny space and against Zelda's physical fighting form. If he didn't think fast, he was done for.

The Sheikah warrior brandished her chain whip and wrapped it around the mage's feet in one smooth motion. With a delicate yank, she brought him crashing down to the stony floor. He tried to move out of the way as the fighter balanced herself onto her hands and then spun her feet around like a helicopter. The attack connected with crushing force and sent Vivi sliding across the chamber.

For the next minute, Vivi was totally at the mercy of his opponent. Sheik was moving almost too fast for the eye to see as she was jumping off the walls, ceiling, and floor. It seemed as if Vivi was being attacked from all directions at once as he could only wave his staff around in a feeble attempt to fight back. Every spell he launched missed its mark too, as he just couldn't hit the swift fighter.

'Not good…not good,' Vivi trembled. 'Another thirty seconds of this and I'm finished. I'm having enough trouble standing as is. She's just too fast for me to…wait a second…' It was then that Vivi had an idea.

The mage raised his hands and began to draw his power out with even more fervor than before. He threw his magics around wildly, not even caring where they hit. Sheik paid little attention to this tactic as she focused her strength into one powerful finishing attack. She readied her fist, smiling behind her mask as she could almost taste victory. That smile left her face in a flash, though, as her feet slipped out beneath her, sending her sliding into some stairs.

"What the…?" she wondered, her voice muffled from underneath her mask. As she looked around the temple, it suddenly dawned on her what Vivi had been doing. He didn't care about her, because he was casting spells at the surrounding environment. Her mouth went agape as she realized that everything was now completely covered in a thick layer of ice.

Vivi smashed his staff into the prone form with all his might. This didn't knock the warrior out, but it did daze her quite a bit. Sheik tried to slide away from Vivi, but she just couldn't find her footing on the slippery surface. Vivi bludgeoned her a few more times before casting a spell.

Sheik felt her magical powers flow into the young mage. His osmose spell leeched massive amounts of energy out of her until she could no longer maintain her fighting form. Her image shimmered and solidified once again, leaving the princess Zelda in place of the warrior Sheik.

"You had a good run," Vivi said. "I honestly thought you were going to beat me. As much as I'd like to see you win, Zidane would pummel me if I didn't fight with my all and take this opportunity to secure my victory."

"No, you don't understand!" Zelda pleaded. "There's more at stake here than just you and me!"

Vivi wasn't listening to the Hylian. He had shut his eyes and was focusing all of his magical power into himself. His robes began to shimmer and soon took on a silver sheen. His staff elongated and his hat straightened itself out. When Vivi opened his eyes, he was fully into his trance and was now a force to be reckoned with.

Zelda slowly raised herself to her feet, trying her best not to slide on the ice. Vivi reacted with lightning-fast speed, calling upon a wave of water to crash into the princess. She had nowhere to dodge and was caught in the deluge. That wasn't the end of it, however, as Vivi followed up his water attack with a ferocious ice blast, freezing the water. Zelda was now encased in ice and could do nothing but watch.

'I've…I've failed you, Link,' she thought. 'Another spell or two and I will be forced out of the tournament.' A tear left her eye and immediately froze on her cheek. Not wanting to face her failure, the princess shut her eyes tight.

'Child, why are you crying?' a voice asked Zelda.

'Because I've let my friend down and am going to go home soon.'

'No, you're wrong. You haven't lost. Not yet. There's still time.'

'Time? Time for me to do what? I can't move around as Sheik with ice everywhere and he'll just drain my magic if I try to use it against him. Even if I free myself from this prison, it'll only end in disaster.'

'If that's what you think, then you deserve to lose. But before I completely give up on you, I have one question.'

'And what is that?'

'Why do you fight?'

'To protect others. To make this world a better place. To help out my friends.'

'No! Stop lying to yourself! Why do you fight here!'

'I…I don't understand.'

'You know, for the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom, you really are quite foolish. Who will be affected most if you lose here today?'

'Link. And the people of Grandis Somnium.'

'Zelda…you're forgetting someone.'

'Who? Who could it be…' It then suddenly made sense to the princess. She realized why she was here.

'Me.'

'What's that?' asked the voice.

'The person I fight for. The one that matters most…is me!'

'Then don't just say it! Believe in it! It's the only way to unlock your true potential.'

'I…fight…for…'

"MYSELF!" Zelda screamed. All of her rage at her helplessness, her inadequacies, and her shortcomings came out in that one primal blast. Vivi was knocked off his feet as the icy cage burst apart at the seams. He quickly got to his feet and prepared himself to cast another duo of spells when he was grabbed by two very strong hands.

"Put me down!" Vivi yelled, but his opponent paid him no mind. He looked into Zelda's eyes and was suddenly very, very afraid. No longer was this the spoiled princess he had been fighting previously. He now faced the full fury of the wielder of the Triforce of Wisdom. Zelda's right hand blazed with a bright blue light, and in a flash, the two were gone.

---

"Where…where did they go?" asked Cloud, shocked at this sudden turn of events.

"I have no idea!" cried out the technician.

"That's enough talking!" yelled Sephiroth. "Do what you're paid to do and FIND THEM."

"Yes, sir!"

---

Vivi looked around at the small area around him. It was a tiny circle surrounded by six other circles of equal size. Underneath everything was brilliant blue energy, flowing around the place as if it were water.

"Where are we!" Vivi asked. This wasn't the Temple of Time any more.

"We're home," Zelda answered. "The home of wisdom and spirit." Her form shimmered and she once again became Sheik. "This is where I shall beat you."

---

"Dimension 8-Q…negative. Dimension 50-Z…negative. Dimension 402-F…negative."

"How could she have moved Vivi on her own?" wondered Cloud. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Dimension 1-B…positive." At this last statement the three champions turned their heads toward one of the operators.

"You've found them!" Link shouted.

"Yes," the man replied.

"Then don't just sit there! Bring them up on the stadium's screens," Sephiroth instructed.

"Already ahead of you, sir. Visual confirmation in 3…2…1…"

The audience went silent as the two combatants once again showed themselves. No one had any idea where they were, but so long as they could see them fight, they were happy. All except for Link. He had been to this place before. He could never forget the…

---

"…Sacred Realm?" asked Vivi. "Look I don't care where we are…I'm still going to fight you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Sheik said. She then arced her chain whip at the diminutive mage. He slammed his staff down on the weapon before it could do any more damage.

'That is wrong,' the Triforce voice instructed Sheik. 'Do not rely on one form or another to beat him. Combine the two. That is your true power.'

Sheik took this advice in and then nodded her head in agreement. A smile worked its way on to her face. She would blend her two fighting styles together in perfect synergy. She had never tried something like this before, but that was why it excited her so.

She recoiled her whip and snapped it out again. Vivi went to block it, but he wasn't prepared for what happened next. On the end of the whip was a Din's Fire spell. It exploded into flames and knocked his staff out of his hands.

Zelda didn't ease up on her assault. She vanished into thin air and then reappeared right next to her opponent, slamming him with her fist. He tried to swat at her but met nothing except empty air. She reappeared next to him and kicked him hard in the ribs, again vanishing once the attack connected. The physical power of Sheik was now being combined with the teleportation skills of Zelda. Her adversary didn't stand a chance.

Vivi was sent flying with a ferocious uppercut. He landed on the ground in a heap. This fight was all but lost except for one more trick the black mage had up his sleeve.

"Surrender!" Zelda/Sheik called out.

"No!" Vivi yelled back. "Only if you can stand after this attack. Otherwise you don't deserve to beat me." The mage clapped his hands together and released his final spell into the air. Shadows started to take the form of a giant fireball as it began to grow larger by the second. Soon it was as big as the fighting area. There was no room to run.

Zelda/Sheik only had one option at this point. She enveloped herself in her most powerful protective spell and waited for the coming Doomsday spell. It was all up to Nayru's Love now.

The shadowy fireball erupted onto the battleground with terrific ferocity. Zelda/Sheik was shaken to her very core as she struggled to maintain her protective forcefield. Just before she had to let it down from sheer exhaustion, the attack ceased. Her diamond shell vanished and she saw the body of the fallen mage.

Vivi was a magical being and had a high resistance to offensive spells. At the time of his casting, though, he was just too weak. The Doomsday spell had ripped into him incredibly hard, with unfortunate results.

The mage was alive, but he was knocked out cold. In the end, his words had come back to haunt him. He didn't believe he could beat Zelda and that's what had happened. It wasn't she who had beaten Vivi. The person who had knocked Vivi out of this match…was himself.

Clutching the black mage in her arms, Zelda instructed the Triforce of Wisdom to take the two back to the arena. As soon as she arrived, she handed her opponent over to the medical team. They could take better care of him than she ever could. She then took off for the arena's exit, ignoring the cheering crowd and commotion. There was one voice, however, which she could not ignore.

"Hey Zelda!" Link called out. "Thanks for winning that match for me!"

"You idiot," Zelda jeered. "That one wasn't for you. It was FOR ME." She then turned around and kept on walking.

Link just shook his head. Zelda had finally understood the true purpose of this tournament. It would now take a tremendous force to take the Hylian woman down. And Link couldn't have been happier.

---

"What the hell was that, Gordon!" screamed Vercetti. "You listed Zelda as a C-minus and Vivi as a solid B."

"Yeah, well, things change," the scientist said, not wanting to anger the volatile mobster any more.

"I lost three thousand on that match today, which, based on your predictions, I thought was a sure thing. You owe me, pal. You owe me big."

"I don't owe you a thing," Gordon calmly said, while adjusting his glasses. "One, you never bought my disc, so you probably pirated it somewhere. Two, I never told you to bet all your money on the match. You did that yourself."

"Well, someone's going to have to pay!" Vercetti exclaimed. "And it might as well be you, you little ." The mobster then drew his gun on the scientist.

"Tommy," Gordon said. "Put that away. You don't know who you're dealing with."

"I don't know who I'm dealing with? you. You don't know who you're dealing with, you ing punk. I'll give you until the count of three to pay up or I'll-"

Vercetti was cut short as he saw a distinct cannon position itself in front of his face. "Or you'll what?" asked the cannon's owner.

"Ummm…nothing, Samus. Gordon and I were just having a friendly chat."

Samus almost laughed at the mobster's words. "Friendly chat? Last I checked, friends didn't threaten each other with guns."

"Now wait, you don't understand everything here-"

"Tommy, I'm going to give you until the count of three to get out of Gordon's room before I blast you into next Tuesday," Samus said with steel in her eyes.

"Hold on-"

"One."

"Can't I say just a little something in my defen-"

"Two."

"Oh ."

"Three." As soon as the bounty hunter spoke this last word, Tommy took off running down the hall. Apparently the gangster still had enough sense to understand when he was beaten.

"Thanks," Gordon said. "But I could have handled him just fine on my own."

"Oh, I know," Samus laughed. "But that was just too much fun to pass up."

"Samus, my time with you has really begun to change my view on a few things."

"How so?"

"I'm learning that it isn't how much you know in life that matters. It's who you know that makes a difference," Gordon said, cracking a smile.

"Well put, Mr. Freeman," Samus chuckled. "But didn't his behavior strike you as a little odd? Tommy's normally not a very scrupulous man, but he isn't crazy. This attack wasn't like him at all."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," agreed Gordon. "But what do you propose we do about it?"

Samus raised her eyebrow at this question. "I propose we do a little investigating over the next few days."

"Ohhhh…detectives! Sweet! Sounds good to me…so long as I get to hold the magnifying glass." Miraculously, Gordon was able to keep a straight face as he said this.

"Gordon?"

"Yes."

"If you ever act like that again I won't let Leon fight you. I'll kick your ass myself. Understood?"

Gordon then burst out laughing. He was shortly joined by Samus, who added her own higher-pitched roar to the mix. After a good thirty seconds, the two regained control of themselves and managed to look each other square in the eyes.

"But seriously…" Samus sighed, wiping a tear from her face. "I will kick your ass."

"I know, Samus. Wouldn't have it any other way." Gordon then shut the door as the two began to discuss how they would go about their snooping.


	26. Interlude: The Looney Bin

**The Looney Bin**_  
By Riceball_

Late. It was terribly late that night as the mustachioed plumber in green walked down the streets to get to his hotel room. Though he had somehow earned his stay in these types of events, Luigi was a rather reluctant fighter.

'I'd rather be at home doing laundry right now,' he thought as he walked through the large city. He was already feeling a little nervous about his current situation, after hearing stories of other tournament participants being mugged and whatever else went on in those dark allies. Heck, he was scared of the dark itself, meaning Luigi's "walk" was more of a "run from each street lamp to the next" type of thing.

It was when he was passing by the local bar, Soldier's Spirit, that a very manly yell erupted from the building. The doors literally blew off the place as Kratos, Slayer of Gods, stepped out in an extremely angry mood, or, rather, a fouler mood than he was usually already in.

"Where is that little brat!" he yelled in all his might. "When I get my hands on him, I swear I'll rip out his spine and use it to impale his own skull!"

As Kratos stormed off back into the bar, causing much ruckus as he did, Luigi stuck his quivering head out of the cardboard box in the alley across the street. He'd taken up residence there as soon as he heard the wrathful yell. Luigi sighed, removing a small garbage bag that had managed to place it self on his hat.

"I wonder who-a he was-a looking-a for?" the plumber said aloud as he stood up and stepped out of the small box.

"That would be me," said a young boy as he popped his head out of the adjacent trashcan. Luigi looked down at the boy from his new perch atop the ladder rungs of a fire escape.

"What-a happened? Why was he-a after-a you?" he asked as he climbed down.

"I have no idea!" said the boy. "All I did was go up to him and ask if he'd like to buy some info on who he's facing first round, but then he nearly tore my head off for just talking to him! It was all I could do to get away."

Luigi thought for a moment. "Isn't he-a facing-a Alucard first round?" he asked.

"Yep," came the boy's reply.

"How would you know information on Alucard?" asked the plumber.

The kid smiled to himself and answered in a show of confidence "The name's Django. I'm a vampire hunter!"

"V-Va-Vampire Hunter?" Luigi looked at the boy nervously.

"Yep." Django replied. "I actually fought against the vampire Alucard not too long ago. Of course, he was no match for me." The boy said all this in an extremely confident tone. "Would you like to hear how I did it? You could probably use the info if you run into him during the tournament."

Luigi thought for a moment, and eventually decided it couldn't hurt. He nodded in approval for Django to start his tale.

"Alright!" Stated the boy as he sat himself on top of the trash can he just exited. "This is how it went..."

---

"Blast. No good. No good," Alucard, the half-vampire prince, said to himself as he fervently went over some documents and maps in his quarters. "This plan is no good. I need to think of another."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, but Alucard was hardly startled. He could sense who ever it was before they even got there. "Who is it? Show yourself," proclaimed the vampire prince. As the door opened, in stepped the young boy, Django, holding a strange looking gun type of weapon.

"And who are you, boy?" Alucard asked.

"My name's Django, the Solar Boy," the boy said. "I'm a vampire hunter".

Alucard looked at the child and couldn't help but smile to himself. "Well isn't that cute," Alucard replied. "But it's wrong!"

"Wrong?" the boy asked, confused. "I'm a vampire hunter. I hunt vampires. That's what I do."

Alucard looked to the boy, and began to explain things to him. "Listen kid, you could never hope to bring me in. Now why don't you just go play with your toy gun outside and leave me be?" He pushed the child toward the door, anxious to get back to his documents.

"It's not a toy! It's the instrument of your destruction!" Django yelled as he turned around and opened fire on the vampire. Alucard looked down in amusement as a ray of flashing light danced from the gun on his chest.

"Hmm. Quite," he said as he slammed the door.

Django stood there looking puzzled. 'The Gun De Sol had no effect? How could this be?' he thought to himself. 'Fine. If I cannot apprehend him through conventional means, then I shall have to resort to other tactics!'

---

The next day, Django was out in the middle of a deserted, forested road, painting a giant red "X" in the middle. In comedic fashion, above the X hung an anvil tied to a rope, which was tied off at a nearby tree through a pulley. Django quickly leapt into the bushes and awaited his prey. 'When he walks by, SPLAT!' he thought to himself.

Soon enough, Alucard came walking by. Django let the rope loose, but his timing was off. The massive cartoon prop fell, barely missing Alucard, who continued to walk off, seemingly unaware of what had just happened. 'Hmmm... maybe I need to rethink this a little,' the Solar Boy thought to himself.

A little while later, the boy had rushed down the path ahead of Alucard. He set up the same trap, but this time he placed a plate full of raw steaks, which he quickly labeled "Vampyre fud", in the center of the "X" mark.

As Alucard came upon the bait, he stopped to comment. "Hmm... I guess I am getting a bit hungry." As he stood there about to feast on his newfound meal, Django let loose the rope around the nearby tree... only to have the rope catch on the pulley, leaving the anvil dangling just above Alucard's head.

"Bleech! These steaks are extremely rare! I prefer mine medium-well!" Alucard exclaimed as he tossed down the meat and continued his walk down the path.

Django, confused, walked over to examine the bait. "Medium-well, huh?" he said, when suddenly the rope came loose from the pulley, causing the anvil to crush the poor child.

---

Django was now on a deserted road, setting up a large catapult. On the road was another red "X" mark, but this time the bait was properly cooked. 'Hee hee! When he comes up, the catapult will launch this giant rock at him, and flatten him!' Django thought.

As Django hid himself behind the catapult, he could see Alucard approaching from a distance. The half-vampire was running. So fast, in fact, that it was kicking up a huge cloud of dust behind him. Upon reaching the bait, he came to an immediate halt, the force of which caused his body to vibrate back and forth. Once the motion had stopped, Alucard, who had his arms tucked to his body as if he were imitating a chicken, bent down and began to feast.

Django saw the opportunity, pulling a small cord to launch the boulder, but the cord simply broke off, with the contraption not firing. Frustrated, Django began pulling on the contraption in different places, eventually ending up on top of the boulder, stomping up and down. It was then that the catapult fired, but instead of sending Django and the rock into the air, it simply smashed them both into the ground, with Django breaking the boulder's fall, of course.

Slowly, Django's upper body emerged from underneath the massive boulder. As he sat there, contemplating what had just happened, he looked up to see Alucard standing over him. The vampire prince, who was still in his chicken stance, stuck out his tongue, then gave an enthusiastic "Beep beep!" before turning and speeding off back down the road.

---

Django had now set up a large spring on the side of a stone that was positioned next to the road. Carefully, he set himself inside the spring, and pushed the contraption backwards until it was all he could do to keep the spring from... well... springing. As Alucard quickly sped by, Django let go, wanting the spring to shoot him forward in an attempt to tackle the speeding vampire. The spring, however, had different ideas. It simply just shot off, wrapping around Django and leaving him caught inside the coil. The boy sat there annoyed, thinking what to do next.

---

Now on another forested path, Django sported a new gray cowboy hat as he set up a sign saying "Road Closed".

"Ahoowhoocachoo! This here will get that Alucard boy. When he stops to read the sign, I blow the land mine here, and no more Alucard boy!" As Django hid in the bushes once again, a loud roar could be heard down the road. Speeding forward was a hearse, sporting a number 01 on its doors, and a Confederate flag on its roof.

As Alucard came to the road sign, he simply spat, stating, "Bah! If I don't hurry to the mall, I'll be late for my manicure!"

Django watched as the car did not slow down, but instead, sped up. What was going on? Panicked, Django decided to blow the mine as soon as Alucard passed over. However, he did it a little too early this time, and instead of blowing the vampire to pieces, is simply launched the vehicle into the air. As Django bit down on his new cap, a spirited "YEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAAAWWWWW!" could be heard from Alucard. Django threw his hat to the ground and started jumping on it in frustration.

---

Django had finally given up. He tracked Alucard down to his destination and found him hitting on some girl in front of a Hot Topic.

"You know, I'm really a vampire," Alucard spouted. The girl, dressed entirely in merchandise from said store, yelled at him, calling him a "poser goth" or some similar crap and left. Django tapped Alucard's shoulder, getting his attention.

"What is it, boy?"

Django lowered his head. "I guess you where right. I give up. You're just too good for me."

Alucard looked at the child. "See, I told you. A mere child like yourself could never be able to--"

Alucard was cut off as Django pulled out the Gun De Sol, firing again. Upon impact of the solar bullets, Alucard burst into a fine mist and faded away.

Django stood there for a second, stunned, then jumped and celebrated his victory. He finally got his prey. "Like there was ever any doubt," he confidently said to himself.

As Django left the building, the mist swept in under a nearby restroom door. The door opened, revealing Alucard. "Heh. Pitiful boy. I guess I'll let him believe what he wants for now," the darkling said to himself as he exited, toilet paper dragging behind on his foot.

---

"...and THAT, is how I single-handedly beat the vampire menace known as Alucard!" Django said proudly, finishing up his version of the story. Luigi just stared at the boy, mouth open, before sighing and turning to leave.

"Hey, what's wrong? You don't believe me!" Django asked.

Luigi patted the boy on the head as he left, replying "Sure-a kid. Sure." Django huffed as Luigi left him in the alley, continuing on his way to his room.

Eventually, the plumber finally managed to find his way back to the place he was staying. Unfortunately, the elevator was out, so Luigi had to trudge up several flights of stairs to get to his quarters. As he came across the 7th floor, Luigi stopped to catch his breath, when he heard a loud roar coming from the top of the building. He followed the sound, looked out the window, and was astonished at what he saw next.

There was a hearse, complete with a number 01 and Confederate flag painted on. It flew off the hotel and landed on the roof below. During this whole stunt its driver was giving an enthusiastic "YEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAWWWWWWW!"

Luigi just stared, even as the vehicle left his sight. Wondering what to think.

'It's-a late,' he thought to himself. 'It's-a too late. I must-a be so tired, I'm-a seeing things.' And with that, he continued to his room.

"Hey-a little brother!" Mario called out, as he saw his sibling coming back. It turned at the two had adjoining rooms. "Where-a you been?"

"Ummmm..no-a where, Mario. No-a where."

"No-a where?" Mario scratched his head. "But then how-a were you-a gone so-"

Mario said no more as Luigi slammed the door behind him and plopped his head down on his bed. His brother would yell at him for that one in the morning, but Luigi cared very little at that moment. Some things were better left unsaid. And with that, the plumber drifted off into a deep sleep. One which, thankfully, wasn't plagued by any ghosts, vampires, or cartoon characters. Just the way Luigi liked it.


	27. Kratos vs Alucard: The Grudge

**Kratos vs. Alucard: The Grudge**

_By Opiate109_

_  
_The stadium was packed with eager spectators, impatiently awaiting the day's match. The excitement was endless, as nearly the entire population of the city was gathered in the stands. Bets were being placed, arguments were breaking out about who would be the winner, and souvenirs and other products were being sold at an alarming rate. It was truly pure chaos as the city emptied itself into the stadium.

There were, of course, several exceptions. Oddly enough, the two warriors who were set to fight today sat barely twenty feet apart, situated in a nearly empty bar. There were only three others in the bar, and those three were always late for the matches. The discussion at this table was all about Auron's actions only days before.

"Auron, you were acting a little strangely in your match before," Sora said, quietly. He leaned low to the table, attempting to keep the conversation between himself and his other two companions.

"There was something…clouding my judgment. I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't help myself. It was as if something was controlling me and making me watch as it slaughtered my opponent," replied Auron, sighing as he recalled the incident.

Zidane, the third member at the table, was the next to speak. "Do you know what it was?"

"I have an idea, but I don't want to point any fingers until I've truly figured it out. Besides whatever it is gone now. I can assure you that I am back to my normal self once more," Auron replied coolly. He sighed loudly and began to immerse himself in his thoughts.

Alucard sat in his usual corner table, seemingly taking little notice of his opponent. He drifted in and out of Auron's conversation with his two younger friends and then went back to thinking about his opponent. His attention went back and forth like this for some time, before he began to take things a little more seriously.

'Ironic, isn't it? We're so similar, and yet, once again, greater powers have forced one of us to take another innocent soul,' thought the son of Dracula to himself, as he stared into his glass of wine. He swirled the glass slowly, watching the patterns in the liquid. He noticed a droplet land on his coat and stared at the crimson stain silently. "So much like blood…"

His comment drew the attention of the three who had previously been trying to keep to themselves. Sora looked at the half-vampire in confusion. The keyblade wielder could sense the sadness that had long been reflected in Alucard's gaze. He wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. He sighed, and noticed his two companions looking at him strangely.

"Say, Alucard…shouldn't you already be at the stadium?" Zidane asked, titling his head slightly to the side. He awaited a response from the half-vampire, but his other companion answered him instead.

"The match is not for another two hours. He has time," Auron said, coldly. He could read Alucard's expression, a grim mask of doubt and hopelessness. Auron turned to see Kratos displaying nearly the exact same expression. He realized that today's match would not be quick, but it would be silent. The two fighters seemed to have no interest in winning, although Kratos did seem to have a certain urge in his eyes. 'I suppose being the God of War would inevitably give you an insatiable bloodlust.'

Alucard just grinned to himself, fully aware that Auron knew exactly why he had yet to go to the stadium. He looked past the three to see Kratos stand up. The God of War dragged his Blades of Chaos behind him, the sharp swords that were attached to chains in Kratos' arms. The muscular soldier silently walked out of the bar, leaving just Sora, Alucard, Zidane, and Auron remaining.

"Hey, Sora, let's go. I want to get a good seat," laughed Zidane. Sora looked at the young man curiously. Something about him was not right. Ever since Vivi had lost, Zidane had acted a bit differently, although Sora couldn't pinpoint the exact change in demeanor. The two left, murmuring to each other about whom they thought would win. Alucard smiled as he heard the name Kratos drift across the empty bar.

"Do you even plan on fighting today?" Auron asked, eyeing the half-vampire closely.  
Alucard merely sipped his wine and began to swirl it again. A few droplets once again landed on his coat as he looked up at Auron.

"Of course I plan on fighting. It will serve me no good to just let him win. I've still got a rematch to earn…"

Auron nodded, assuming he meant Sephiroth. The red-coated swordsman had heard stories of the fight, in which Sephiroth mocked Alucard, tormenting him maliciously before he struck the final blow. Auron sensed a change in Alucard, as the half-vampire stood up and exited the bar. Auron eyed the glass of wine, which had been tipped over by Alucard's quick exit. The Merlot trickled off the table slowly, dripping onto the wooden floor and forming a shallow pool. Auron left the wine as it was and quickly walked to the stadium, hoping to catch up with the others on the way.

- - -

"So, Auron, who do you think will win? Seems like Kratos is the favorite…at least, I picked him," Rikku said, smiling slightly. She seemed surprisingly upbeat after Yuna's untimely defeat earlier that week.

"Alucard," Auron replied coldly.

Sora looked at him in shock, "...But, Kratos is a third seed…and he's a god!"

"In his world, perhaps. Alucard, however, is the son of the single greatest evil to ever walk his Earth."

Sora and Rikku were both silenced by that comment, thinking of nothing that could justify their choice in victor.

The details for the match had been pre-set, as Alucard has already picked a Roman coliseum as his choice of terrain. Sephiroth smiled as he allowed Kratos to choose where to begin. Alucard followed suit and with that, the match was set to begin.

"Good luck, Kratos… Daywalker," Sephiroth said. To most, it seemed like uncharacteristic kindness, despite Alucard's flash of vehemence that sent shivers down Sora's spine. Alucard eventually stopped glaring and walked to the nearest pillar. Looking around, he stuck a large sword into the ground behind it. Few took notice, but it drew a smile from Auron and Dante, who were watching the fight together.

After the announcer finished his tirade, nothing much happened, as the two combatants weren't fans of anything overly flashy or extravagant. The fight began in silence, as Kratos began to swing his blade around, awaiting a move from Alucard. Alucard did not react, however, and merely stood with his sword in hand. He looked at Kratos with newfound anger, but did nothing other than watch.

The God of War grew impatient and stopped spinning his Blades of Chaos. He took off at a run towards his opponent, who still did not react. When Kratos finally reached a spot he found suitable, he swung his left arm towards his right, causing his blade to quickly snap to the right. Alucard jumped back and easily dodged the swing. Focusing all of his attention on his foe's weapons, he also managed to evade a vertical slash downwards from Kratos' right arm. Alucard waited until the second blade had embedded itself into the ground to react, at which point he dashed towards his opponent. Kratos struggled to free his weapons, shocked to find that his left blade had become stuck in the ground behind him.

Alucard lunged forward and slashed downwards. A quick flash of silver was all Kratos saw before his opponent was behind him. Kratos finally freed his right blade and blindly swung it backwards. Alucard jumped to the right, dodging the wild attack. He noticed that the blade had been slowed enough to prevent it from being embedded and decided it was to keep his distance for now.

By the time Kratos had turned around, both blades finally free, Alucard had backed way far enough to be out of Kratos' range. Kratos erupted in anger, and darted towards his opponent. He flailed his arms in what seemed like a random motion, although neither blade touched the ground. Alucard ducked under the first blade and deflected the second with his sword. He dodged the next swing, but was hit by the subsequent strike, which, fortunately, was positioned in an awkward angle, allowing him to avoid any major damage.

The son of Dracula fell to the ground, landing roughly on his right arm. Kratos stopped swinging his blades and carefully approached his fallen foe. The God of War inspected Alucard before moving closer. The half-vampire seemed to have been knocked out and a slight trickle of blood was leaking from his side. Kratos took another step forward, and leaned in even closer. He readied his Blades of Chaos, preparing himself for anything that might happen.

He was too slow to react, however, as Alucard's body seemed to disappear. He looked around, but saw nothing except the ground around him. The God of War mulled over the possible tactics of his opponent and refastened his grip on his chains. His attention was drawn upwards, as he heard a flapping of wings above him.

Alucard had assumed his bat form, much to the shock of the crowd. Murmurs spread through the stands, as the bat flew higher, now beyond the reach of the Chaos Blades.

"That's cheating!" Tommy Vercetti shouted in anger, standing up quickly. Those around him smiled, as they knew he had made a bet with Auron the day before. The mobster quickly stomped over to Auron, who was talking with Rikku. "Hey, Auron…the bet's off. Nobody said anything about bats or whatever the hell that is!"

"No," Auron replied coldly, turning to face the mobster. Vercetti growled at the quick response and drew his gun out of its holster. Auron stared carelessly into the barrel of the gun, and smiled as he looked just beyond Vercetti's left shoulder.

"What the hell are you smiling at?" Vercetti asked, as he turned around. He was quickly silenced, as he saw himself staring into the twin barrels of Dante Sparda's trusty handguns.

"Sit down, old man. You couldn't outshoot me even if you wanted to," Dante said, gesturing to the empty seat between him and Auron's other friend, Vincent. Vercetti was hesitant to sit down, as he had heard many stories of Vincent and Dante since arriving here. He saw that he had no choice, though, and left Auron alone. "Sure, sure. What do I care? Besides, that hulking monster can still win."

"Not likely," Vincent said. "You saw what Alucard hid behind that pillar, didn't you?" The mobster just shrugged his shoulders at that comment. Vercetti had no idea what they were talking about and went back to watching the fight.

The fight itself wasn't that entertaining. The bat would swoop in and scratch Kratos every now and then, only to be quickly scared off by Kratos' weapons. It seemed to be a stalemate, until Alucard abruptly flew to the outer edge of the arena. Kratos watched as Alucard transformed back to his humanoid form and knelt down behind a pillar.

The God of War sensed trouble and ran towards the slightly ruined pillar. He swung his right arm quickly, and watched as he chopped the pillar down, only to reveal Alucard standing with a much larger sword than before in his hands. He seemed unphased by the vicious slash, but he could feel a slight bit of blood running down his nose. Kratos had very finely sliced the bridge of Alucard's nose.

Alucard didn't bother to wipe the blood of his face, as he ran towards Kratos in anger. Kratos swung his left arm, followed quickly by his right. Alucard ducked under the first swing and rolled forward, effectively evading the second blade as well. In one smooth motion he regained his stance and swung his sword at Kratos' stomach. The God of War blocked the attack with his right arm, but felt the warmth of his blood slowly pour out from the cut. He looked at Alucard to see the cut on his nose slowly heal itself, the blood apparently pouring into the sword Alcuard was holding. It seemed this particular weapon held more than a few tricks in store, as this fight was far from over.

Once again, the crowd was shocked to see a formerly wounded Alucard regain control of the match. Vercetti growled and looked to Auron, who sat in silence. He peeked beyond the swordsman to get a glimpse of Rikku, before he noticed Dante laughing at him. 

"She's not legal yet, so calm down," Dante chuckled, drawing the attention of Vincent and Auron. Auron smiled as he realized what was going on, as did Vincent, which shocked Dante and Tommy. Up until then they hadn't realized the gunman was capable of showing any positive emotion.

Rikku, seemingly unaware of the conversation, gasped with the rest of the crowd, as Auron and the others looked back toward the fight. Alucard had disappeared, after draining much blood from a wounded Kratos. The God of War slowly shook off his injuries and took a few steps backwards. He listened for any sign of his opponent, but could not find any.

He continued to backpedal a little, until he felt something push up from below. He jumped to his side and watched as the ground opened up. The warrior was shoved off balance and pulled in by a strong hand, one that was much stronger than his own, thanks to the blood Alucard had drained. The ground shut quickly after Kratos had been pulled in, leaving the audience with nothing but an empty battlefield to watch. As if on cue, they turned their heads toward the stadium's screens, anxious to catch a bit of the action in some fashion or another.

"What the hell?" Kratos asked aloud, unable to see in the darkness. He could not swing his blades as he had little room to maneuver in the underground chamber.

"It's the lion pit. They would store the gigantic felines here for special matches," Alucard's voice answered back in the complete darkness. "I would expect you to know about something like this, as you're more familiar with these coliseums than I am. I made sure Sephiroth took notice of this detail, as it does tend to slip the minds of most people. It's a small room, more of a cube really. There is no lion, of course. In fact, there is no other substantial body at all, save for your own." Alucard was trying his best to sound mocking, much as Sephiroth had years before.

"How did I end up down here?" Kratos boomed.

"It's quite simple, really. You came in through a square, made up of several layers of wood nailed together, and covered in sand to hide it from prying eyes. Normally it would be pulled open by ropes by slaves. These ropes would be attached to one or several small metal loops found on the top, and sometimes the bottom of the wood as well. The piece of wood would fling open; it acted as door, just on a strange side of the room. Like a giant crate, made to contain wild beasts…Suiting, for our match-up, is it not?" Alucard spoke in a cruel tone, drawing a growl from Kratos.

Alucard was relieved at the anger the man was showing, but , at the same time, was slightly worried. In order to contain Kratos, he would need to bar off the trap door that acted as the ceiling. Unfortunately for the son of Dracula, this meant he would most likely have to turn back from his mist form to his normal form. 'Alright, I just hope he's still too confused to notice anything…' Alucard thought to himself, as once again assumed his solidified appearance. He found the metal loop that acted as a handle; one was located on each side of the trap door.

Alucard spoke once more, as he hadn't heard Kratos moving around in a while. "You really should have paid more attention. Letting your opponent catch you off-guard is the biggest mistake one can make." As he spoke, he drove the Muramasa, his long sword, through the metal loop and several feet into the solid dirt behind it. 'That should work much like a lock; at the very least, he'll have to first discover the sword to get out, which is easier said than done in this darkness.'

Kratos looked around, scanning the blackness for the body of his opponent. He was halted by the frank, cold voice once again. "You won't be able to see me. Just be thankful that in my mist form I won't be able to strike you too hard either," Alucard said, as he resumed his gaseous state.

'Perfect. He's more vulnerable here than he is up there. I have no intention of killing him outright and I know he won't surrender. I just hope this plan works…' Alucard thought somberly to himself. He tried to remember what he had learned from the conversations he had heard Kratos partake in while he was in the bar. Maybe he could use the man's past against him.

"Tell me, Kratos…" Alucard said, once again in that faux mocking tone. "How does it feel to be to weak again? To lose once more, even in your new form? How do you plan to protect any mortals, when you can hardly protect yourself!"

"Shut up!" Kratos boomed, realizing how alone he was when he got no outside reaction at all. It finally sunk in that he was almost completely at the mercy of Alucard. He attempted to open the trap door above him, but found himself unable to move it. He couldn't tell what the obstruction was, but felt that it was fairly sturdy.

"I've taken a precaution to make sure that you can't open that. How does it feel to be so trapped and hopeless? What if your family was in the arena right now, under attack?" Alucard asked. He hated himself for what he was doing, but had no desire to take another life. At least not until he reached where he planned to be, that is.

Kratos let out a growl and punched upwards. He felt the trap door move, but could tell it would not open. It was not until he removed his hand that he noticed that he had cracked the layers of wood that it was made of. He saw the recently stirred-up dust swirl in the thin beams of light that now penetrated the darkness. He continued to punch upwards, hoping to break the trap door enough to squeeze out.

'Damn it! He's going to get out on his own…' Alucard thought to himself. He reached for his sword, which had been placed to prevent the door from opening. He pulled it free and jumped out of the pit just as Kratos punched the trap door open. The God of War was shocked at the sudden lack of resistance, and quickly jumped out of the pit. He readied his blades and prepared for Alucard's attack.

Alucard dashed towards his opponent, who was waiting for him. The half-vampire managed to dodge the first few swings, but was struck in the leg by one of the blades. He tumbled forwards, struggling to keep his grip on his sword. He landed on his stomach, but rolled over quickly enough to see one of the Blades of Chaos rushing downwards towards him. He brought up his sword to parry the attack, barely managing to deflect the attack in time.

Alucard noticed Kratos was keeping his distance. 'Damn, I'll never win at this rate,' Alucard thought to himself. He rolled to his left to avoid the next attack and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. He stole a quick glance down to find that he had rolled on top of the sword he was using earlier. He pulled it out from underneath him just in time to roll out of the way of another Blade of Chaos.

"Just keep still and die!" Kratos screamed in anger, swinging his arms wildly. Alucard could sense the rage coming from his opponent and finally stood up. He ducked almost as soon as he regained his footing, however, due to a vicious swing from the berserk warrior.

'It's impossible to get close to him. He's just too fast. I'll need to somehow get close to him as he's at a disadvantage from my close-range attacks…' Alucard mused, all the while still backing up. Alucard attempted to think of a plan, but was shocked when Kratos actually spoke to him.

"Alucard, I won't lose again. I lost too much the last time I accepted defeat," Kratos said, bluntly. The crowd was surprised at his comment, as up until then they simply believed that the warrior was nothing more than a raging lunatic.

"Then it is a shame that I must force you into acceptance," Alucard replied coldly. He readjusted his grip on his two swords, knowing that the large Muramasa would be useless with just one hand.

"I have some unfinished business here," Alucard said, as he gave a quick glance toward Sephiroth. The tournament organizer grinned and Alucard was shocked at the similarity between the silver-haired champion and another, more familiar evil he had faced in the past. 'So much like him…'

"I'll die before I lose again!" Kratos responded with a ferocious shout.

"So be it…" Alucard acknowledged. He stuck the Muramasa in the ground and threw his smaller sword upwards and slightly forward. Kratos' eyes, much like most eyes in the stadium, were drawn toward the sword, which now was an errant projectile. They did not notice when Alucard once again transformed into his bat form and flew towards Kratos.

Kratos finally took notice when Alucard transform himself back to a human in midair, a few feet above and in front of Kratos. Alucard landed and looked up, hoping his plan worked. Sure enough, the sword was coming down straight towards him. He reached up, and with a noticeable effort to perfect his timing, grabbed hold of the hilt of the blade. Kratos growled and prepared to swing his blades, but was halted by a sharp pain in his right arm.

Kratos let out a shout and looked at his wounded limb. Sure enough, Alucard's sword had drawn blood. Alucard grinned, and slashed once again. Kratos attempted to block the attack with his left arm, but was once again deeply cut. He took a few quick steps back, and wrapped some of his chains around his arms. Alucard slashed once more, but Kratos blocked this strike with his right arm. The chains were enough to stop the blade, and Kratos swung his left arm quickly. The blade did not have enough length to move, but his fist collided with Alucard's left shoulder.

Alucard faltered due to the force of the blow, but swung again. He followed this attack up by taking a step forward and swinging again. Kratos again found himself forced to block and step back with every swing Alucard made. The chains were grinding into his flesh and Alucard's sword often found skin. Kratos was growing more and more angry, feeling more helpless with each wound Alucard inflicted. Kratos cursed to himself and made up his mind about his next plan of attack.

With a shout, the warrior jumped forward. He swung viciously, but met only air, as Alucard quickly sidestepped the attack. Kratos realized his mistake and turned to meet the half-vampire. He saw nothing of his opponent though, as Alucard's blade slashed across Kratos' eyes, effectively blinding him.

The gruesome sight caused many in the stands to look away, as Alucard followed that up by driving the sword deep into Kratos' stomach. Kratos howled in pain and swung around blindly. Alucard easily dodged the wild swings and pulled his sword free. Kratos swung once more, but completely missed his target. Alucard reacted by leaning back and slashing at the throat of Kratos.

The God of War's blood poured out quickly, staining Alucard's coat. Kratos fell to his knees, but still attempted to swing. Alucard dodged the strike and decided to show mercy upon his fallen foe. Rather than giving him an agonizing death, Alucard shoved his sword into Kratos' head. After bowing his head in respect, Alucard left quickly, leaving a bloody corpse and a stunned crowd behind. Sephiroth merely smiled, apparently quite pleased with the outcome of the match.

- - -

The Soldier's Spirit was in its stage of usual chaos that always followed matches. The only difference between this and most other nights was the absence of the match's victor. Alucard was nowhere to be found, even for those who were looking outside of the bar for him.

"Where do you think he went?" Sora asked the three traveling with him, expecting no answer.

"I have an idea…" Auron said, from the front of the group. Sora looked at Zidane, and then at Rikku. Neither had any idea what Auron was talking about, and all three just followed him.

They were all shocked, however, when Frog came storming out of an alley, and headfirst into Auron.

"Ah, my apologies Frog," Auron said, with great respect.

"Watch thyself next time, or I'll be forced to kill thee!" Frog shouted, in an uncharacteristically high volume. He seemed far too angry to be the Frog that had fought Riku days ago.

"Frog?" Zidane asked, quite intrigued at the knight's behavior.

"I… I must apologize. I haven't been myself as of late. Please, I ask that thou forgive me…" Frog said, shaking his head and walking away quickly.

"What was that all about?" Rikku asked, in her usual bubbly tone.

"I'm not sure, though I expect it has something to do with that move your friend pulled," Auron stated, looking towards Sora. 'Or perhaps, it was Sephiroth again…Could he have made Frog that way too? He acted quite similar to how I was when I was fighting Big Boss…' Auron thought sadly to himself.

"Riku…What did you do?" Sora asked under his breath, as he continued to follow Auron.

Down the road, no one noticed as Frog turned into another alleyway. His thoughts raced, as he couldn't understand why he was so angry lately. 'And today, when the Vampire killed that man… I couldn't help but smile…' Frog thought to himself. He looked upwards at the pale half-moon that dominated the clear, dark sky. He could feel his anger and rage coming on again, as he tried to struggle against it. The act was pointless, though, as he could tell he was fighting a losing battle. 'I must do something! I cannot let this evil triumph!' Frog ran back out into the alley, and decided it would be best if he locked himself in his hotel room.

- - - 

Meanwhile, Auron's group finally reached the arena. It had long since been emptied. Only the three organizers remained and they were in a room that was closed to any but themselves.

"Auron, why would he be here? That just doesn't make sense. He left quickly, so why would he come back?" Sora asked, as they rounded a corner into a hallway that extended both left and right. They took the left way, but were stopped by a familiar voice.

"Because, no one would think to look for me here, as your words have proven," Alucard replied from the right side of the passage. He was leaning against the wall, with a familiar glass of Merlot in his hands. His lips were tinted red from the wine, but Sora could not help but think of blood when they caught his stare.

"Why don't you want people finding you?" Rikku asked, as Alucard flinched at the sound of her voice. Auron smiled, and Zidane even began to laugh.

"Tell me, Alucard, why didn't you just kill him at the start today?" Zidane wondered, staring at the glass of wine being held loosely in Alucard's hand.

"As a child, my Mother told me not to hurt humans. Unlike my father… my Mother was respectable, an honest and kind woman. I have tried to see her wish through the best I can. I desperately wanted him to make a mistake, so I wouldn't have to make that decision in the end. I didn't know the extent of the pain he would take before he would quit, though."

"But why? I mean, he knew he had pretty much lost by the time you avoided his jump forward," Sora remarked.

"He had something to fight for. The last time he lost, he lost more than just a fight. He was fighting not to prove something to others, but to prove to himself that he was worthy of the lives of those he would lead into battle. At least, that's what I gathered from Freeman's information," Alucard explained, staring into his red wine.

"And what would Freeman's information say of you?" Auron asked, fully knowing the answer that would come.

"That I'm fighting for the near impossible chance for revenge," Alucard replied coldly, sipping his wine.

"But…if it's near impossible, why do you keep fighting?" Rikku asked, tilting her head to the side.

Alucard sighed. "You've never wanted revenge, have you?" Rikku stuttered in her attempts to respond, but the gaze of Alucard froze her tongue. She was thankful for the interruption that followed.

"Ah, so Frog wasn't lying! You really are here," Dante called out, as he, Kratos Aurion, Squall, and Vincent walked into the hallway. "The gang's all here, eh?"

"You spoke with Frog?" Auron asked. "Was he still acting strangely?"

"Yeah, to say the least. He was in the midst of some kind of internal struggle. He seemed to be fighting something back, with little success," Vincent replied grimly. Squall nodded and put his hand on his gunblade.

"I see…" Auron said to himself, a grim undertone in his voice. "Anyways, what are you four doing here?"

"Well, it wouldn't be much of a party without the regulars. Besides, we figured Zidane could use a drink and a few hands of poker, what with Vivi losing yesterday," Dante responded, with a grin. "You up for it, Alucard? Sounds like you and Vincent here would get along real well," he laughed.

"Very well. I have nothing better to do at this time. It's no use hiding when half the contest has already found me anyways," Alucard said, with a rare hint of humor. The group of nine contestants decided to head to the Soldier's Spirit, to meet up with a few other contestants who often shied away from large groups. For many, it was a lighthearted night, despite the gruesome match that had ended hours earlier. For one, however, it was a night of internal struggle, as Frog continued to avoid the others.

'What is this? Why do I keep wishing to see more bloodshed? What is happening here?' Frog was thinking to himself, as he blindly rounded a corner. He saw Auron, with eight others, coming his way. He hoped they didn't notice him, as he ducked back into the alley. He couldn't help but reach for his Masamune, although he had no idea why.

Frog fought back the urge to jump out of the alley right then and there and start killing for no good reason. His conscious mind could find no good that could come of this action, but the urge was there, nonetheless. The only thing that seemed to abate this desire was seeing Vincent and Dante both look at him as they passed by. They knew something was wrong with the amphibian, but decided to leave him alone. Whatever it was, he could probably deal with it himself better than anyone else could. After the group had passed, Frog ran out of the alley and headed to his hotel room, hoping to avoid all contact with people until he knew exactly what was plaguing him.

'Very slowly, it seemeth as if mine heart is being consumed by darkness,' Frog observed. 'I just prayeth I have enough light to keep the beast at bay.'


	28. Sora vs Agent 47: Sorashank Redemption

**Sora vs. Agent 47: The Sorashank Redemption**  
By Daredevil3181

Morning was just breaking upon the 21st floor terrace of the Trump Towers Hotel. Although it was summer in the city of Grandis Somnium, today the sun seemed to be even brighter than before. The few guests that had gotten up early to take in the sunrise were forced to shield their eyes for protection against the fierce glare. One particular guest didn't even blink as the day continued to grow brighter, however.

'Morning truly brings out the best in this place, sometimes,' thought Vincent Valentine, as he sipped his coffee from the café that was comfortably situated outside. 'No matter how grim things seem to get, at least there's always the light of dawn to look forward to.'

"Vincent!" a voice called out. "I never fancied seeing you outside here so early in the morning. Especially after our little card game lasted so long into the evening."

"The same could be said of you, Daywalker," Vincent grinned, not bothering to turn around. He was still transfixed by the rising ball of light. "Most vampires tend to avoid the light, not embrace it."

"It's true I am not as strong in the daylight as others due to my nocturnal side," Alucard consented. "But I'm not helpless either. Besides, I couldn't sleep at all last night. I figured the best thing for me would be a breath of fresh air and a little walk around the premises."

"Still thinking about the match yesterday?" Vincent asked. "It was a bit taxing on you. I can tell just by the way you carry yourself now how tired you truly are."

Alucard sighed. "Yes. I can't say I was completely disappointed with the way it turned out. I mean, I am here now because of my victory. On the other hand, though, I wish it could have ended without another senseless killing. There already seems to be enough evil around without me adding to it."

"I know the feeling," Vincent said, as he finally averted his gaze away from the sun and toward the half-vampire. "There's a darkness inside all of us. And it seems this tournament has a way of bringing it out."

"Yes, I just pray it doesn't get the best of people such as ourselves," said Alucard. "So much pain…so much suffering…These people have already been through so much here as is."

"Yes, but like it or not, I don't think this dark cloud will dissipate anytime so-" Vincent was cut off by a smaller figure who skidded to a stop a little behind them.

"You might want to save some of that energy for later on today," observed Alucard. Sora was panting a little and had a few beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Nah," Sora laughed. "I'll be fine. Besides, I was just training a little outside. The virtual reality center can only do so much. Nothing holds a candle to a little rooftop vaulting."

"You were flying from rooftop to rooftop?" wondered Vincent, as he raised an eyebrow at the teenager.

"Flying? No, I've only done that in Neverland," Sora smiled. "Here I can only glide."

"Like that echidna fellow?" asked Alucard.

"I guess," Sora shrugged. "From what I understand we use the same mechanics, but his is used more for offense. I use my gliding mostly for evasion and maneuverability. Anyways, I overheard you talking about the evil around here a little. What's that all about?"

"Don't you sense it? The way the very air around here seems to be charged with something less than holy." Vincent couldn't believe the naivety of youth sometimes.

"Yeah, I guess," Sora said. "But I choose not to focus on that. I look at things through a different perspective."

"And what's that?" Vincent asked, his curiosity piqued.

"I prefer to see the light in everyone," Sora explained. "There's that little spark of good in all of us. And no matter how faint, so long as it's there, no one is truly lost within the sea of blackness."

"Sora, I commend you for your upbeat attitude," chuckled Alucard. "But seriously, not everyone can be saved. Take your opponent today, for instance. Agent 47 is a hired assassin. He's probably killed more people than you could even think of. And for what? Something as simple as money. A man like that learned to bury his emotions a long time ago, and no one will be digging them out anytime soon."

"They might be buried," Sora huffed. "But they're still there. It just takes a little encouragement sometimes."

"And you think you could be that guiding force in his life?" scoffed Vincent.

"In all honesty, he won't be here long enough for me to totally help him," Sora sighed. "But I can start to lead him down the right path. He just might listen."

"You have great ideals, Sora," Alucard commented. "But they're just not based in reality. You need to get a little more experience in life. Then you might be able to see where Vincent and I are coming from."

"I really am sorry for you guys," said Sora, looking down at the ground.

"And why is that?" wondered Vincent.

"You've lost the abilities to dream and to believe in others." There was a long silence that just seemed to hang in the air after the youth said this last statement. "Look, I gotta get ready. Maybe we'll talk later. Just watch me in my match today. You'll see that I'm not just a little kid who'll be pushed around any more. I find my own path and I'm not afraid to follow it through to the end." Sora then jumped off the building and glided down to the ground below.

"Good kid," Vincent said. "A little misguided, but he has a strong heart."

"Yes," agreed Alucard. "I just hope he doesn't go anywhere for a while. He can be a little annoying at times, but I'm afraid to admit that his optimism can be a little infectious and I rather like having him around."

"What'll you do if you have to face him, though?" prodded the red-coated gunman.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," Alucard answered. "For now, I just want to relax and clear my thoughts. I've had a lot on my mind lately and a well-deserved break is definitely in order." The half-vampire then turned to leave.

'We all have things on our mind, Daywalker," Vincent thought. 'But it takes a truly strong individual to see them through to the end.' He then looked out toward the horizon, content to let his mind wander as it may.

---

'What a weird business transaction,' thought Agent 47. 'Most of the time people pay me to kill others. I think this is the first time I've been paid to NOT assassinate another. Still, the money's good and what should I care? I'm 100,000 richer because of it.'

The man adjusted his tie and then ran his hands across his bald head. It was about time for his match and he wanted to make sure he was presentable. He'd be hiding out of sight for most of it anyways, but a hitman should always look professional at all times. Anything less and people start to think you're a joke. And Agent 47 was anything but a joke.

'I had to run back to the hotel and switch out all my weapons for non-lethal substitutes,' the assassin frowned. 'Rubber bullets, stun grenades, tranq guns…such a hassle. I can't guarantee that the kid won't feel any pain, but if he does die, it won't be because of me. It'll be because he's just too weak.'

The hitman looked around his locker room one last time. He knew that the audience and judges outside were waiting and it would do him no good to be late. It just wouldn't be professional.

'Alright, let's get this over with,' Agent 47 told himself as he secured his weapons on his person. 'Who knows…once I'm done with this match maybe I can get some extra work around this place. I've already sinned so much in my life that I'll pretty much take any job. No point in backing out now.' He then stepped outside and into the sunlight.

"Damn. It's real bright out here today," Agent 47 muttered. "Good thing I'm wearing these shades. I'd be practically blind in this light otherwise."

---

The hitman moved silently through the building, looking for a secure vantage point. It didn't take him long to find one in which he could see his opponent down below. He took out his automatic and aimed for the youth, who looked like he was lost in an environment such as the one the assassin had chosen.

'I did well,' Agent 47 congratulated himself. 'Picking this alleyway set-up with a few buildings around it was the perfect terrain for skills such as my own. And to think that the boy wanted to start down below...Hasn't he heard anything about the high ground?'

Meanwhile, Sora scanned the tops of the buildings from the ground below. He was a little annoyed at where his opponent had chosen to start, but what could he do? 'He was purposefully vague when he said he would start somewhere "up there", but I guess everyone isn't as open as me. But he didn't have to taunt me with that last statement, though. "Don't worry where I start. It's not like the bullets would miss a target as easy as you, anyways". What a jerk!'

"Alright, kid. Time to say goodnight," whispered Agent 47. He pulled the trigger on his gun and a rain of bullets immediately flooded out of the firearm.

Sora knew he was in danger as soon as he heard a clicking sound reverberate throughout the previously silent arena. He dodge rolled forward and not a moment too soon, narrowly missing the ammunition that ricocheted off the gravel behind him. Sora knew that the hitman would continue to fire at him with all the firepower he had, so he had to act fast. There were just too many bullets to realistically dodge, so the teen did the next best thing.

"Defense!" he shouted, as he raised his keyblade into the air and cast a spell. A wall of air immediately surrounded him as the assassin again fired at the youth. Nothing happened, though, as the defensive barrier effectively blocked the bullets from penetrating through and damaging the keyblade wielder.

"Where are you?" Sora called out. "Just stop hiding already!"

If Agent 47 did hear those words, he made no effort to answer them. Instead, Sora was greeted by a third round of gunfire. He ducked behind some nearby trashcans, desperate to find any cover. His Aero shield would only last so long before it vanished, and he didn't feel like being caught in a compromising situation.

Sora peeked out over the metal bins and let his eyes wander around the windows of the buildings. Agent 47 was firing from a space that allowed him easy access to Sora down below, so he had to be somewhere up there. Finally, Sora caught the sleeve of an expensive suit, just as it pulled itself inside a building and out of sight.

'There you are,' smiled Sora. He then raced for the side of the building that housed his opponent, making sure to dodge roll away from any potential gunfire that threatened him. As soon as he reached the structure, he jumped up, planted his feet on the outer wall, and gathered energy into himself.

'What is he trying to pull?' Agent 47 wondered. 'This will only make him easier to hit. I can't see any advantage to-'

The hitman really had no words for what he saw next. Sora had unleashed his stored up magical power and was moving at an incredible rate. Not only was he moving ever closer toward the assassin, but he was doing it by running UP the side of the building. The boy had an extremely determined look on his face as his held his keyblade out in front like a lance.

"Trying to scare me are you?" asked Agent 47. "I'm not one to be easily intimidated. Guess I'll just have to stop you in your tracks then." The hitman ducked inside the room, quickly slipped on some sound dampening headgear, and pressed down on a remote trigger he had been holding.

Sora's senses were suddenly assaulted by a blinding flash and a deafening roar. It was so loud and bright that a few people who were sitting up in the very highest part of the stands had to blink their eyes and cover their eyes a little for protection. The stun grenades had done their job as Sora fell down toward the ground below.

"Happy landings," said Agent 47, his voice devoid of all emotion. He took a glance outside to watch his opponent's falling form, but his confidence was short-lived. Sora had quickly recovered and grabbed on to the catwalk of a nearby building. He had managed to avoid serious injury…for now.

"My eyes," Sora groaned, as he pulled himself up onto the metal grating. He hadn't been able to see the catwalk…he grabbed it on mere instinct. He tried to blink and shake his head a few times, but it was no use. For the rest of the match he'd be fighting deaf and blind.

Agent 47 had found a position on the roof of one of the buildings. He rummaged through his belongings before he finally came up with the pieces he was looking for. He extracted the gleaming black metal and quickly assembled it into a sniper rifle. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out some interesting ballistics.

"It'd be so much easier to just use bullets," Agent 47 whispered. "But these tranqs should do just fine. One of these could knock out an elephant alone. Let's see how well he handles three or four of them."

'I can't see him…I can't hear him. This isn't too good,' thought Sora. 'I know another attack is coming and I'm just hanging around like a sitting duck. Got to think, got to think.'

Agent 47 had loaded his rifle and was now taking aim at the young man. He stared intently through his scope, searching for the perfect spot to fire the tranquilizers at Sora. In just a little while, this match would be over.

'No, I can't see him. But I don't need to, do I?' Sora smiled as he finally came up with a plan. He plunged his hand into his short's pocket and rooted around there for a little while. He finally found what he was looking for. Sora ripped off the current keychain that was attached to his keyblade and placed another one on. He rubbed the weapon with the back of his hand to make sure it had transformed into the desired conformation. The stony exterior quickly confirmed this and told him all he needed to know.

'Now to move on to bigger and better things,' Agent 47 thought. 'I was expecting a better fight from you, kid. Come back when you're a little older. Then you might have a shot at beating a professional like myself.'

The hitman fired the tranquilizer bullet but it missed its mark, landing mere inches below Sora's feet. The keyblade wielder had leaped into the air and spun around quickly two times. With a mighty heave, he hurled his keyblade into the air. Agent 47 showed no signs of concern as he merely watched it fly wide to his left.

"Amateur," he sighed. "You made me miss the first shot, but I can guarantee with this next one you won't be so lucky. I don't miss twi-"

That was all the hitman could say before a very hard and fast moving object smashed into the back of his head. It was true that the keyblade had completely missed him when it was initially thrown. Too bad Agent 47 hadn't checked to see if it had begun a return trajectory though. That was a dire mistake. The assassin tried to blink a few times to clear his head, but he knew it was over as soon as his eyes rolled back and his body slid off the roof.

Sora noticed his vision was beginning to clear as he rapidly tried to blink away a few bright spots. He scanned the rooftops for his opponent with no luck. It wasn't until he glanced a little lower that he saw the limp form hurtling towards the ground. Sora didn't waste any time, as he pushed off the catwalk and tucked his arms at his sides.

The warrior of light raced toward Agent 47 as if he was pure lightning. Just as he got close, he put out his arms and lunged forward with both his hands. His left hand came up with his Olympia keyblade. In his right, he had firmly grabbed a hold of the body of his opponent. He glided back down to the ground as best he could and skidded to a stop, kicking up a few clouds of dust in the gravel that littered the ground.

Observing the damage Agent 47 had sustained, Sora frowned at a large gash on the back of the hitman's head. His keyblade had done a little more damage than he had hoped, but at least it had not killed the assassin. With a hopeful expression on his face, he looked at the judges, expectantly waiting their decision.

Cloud and Link nodded their heads almost immediately. Sephiroth seemed to be mulling something over, however. After thirty seconds he finally nodded his head just once, a small scowl on his face. It was now official. The teenager from Destiny Islands was indeed the winner of the match.

Sora jumped up and down for a second and then took his keyblade out and began a little flourish. He slashed downwards two times in rapid succession and then turned around, resting his keyblade on his right shoulder. The crowd seemed to be eating this little display up.

Squall, on the other hand, couldn't stop from laughing at this little show.

"What's so funny?" asked Rikku. The girl hated being left out of a joke.

"Nothing, nothing," Squall replied, trying to control himself.

"If it's nothing then you wouldn't be laughing," Rikku pouted. "C'mon, you can tell me!"

"Well, it's kind of stupid actually. It's just that…I taught him that."

"What? You mean that taunt?" wondered Rikku, not exactly sure what Squall was referring to.

"Yeah. I just never thought he'd use it in battle." The SeeD just shook his head in disbelief.

Back down on the field, the medical team quickly ran out to treat Agent 47's probable concussion. Sora waved them off, though. He'd inflicted the pain and he would make it up to the man. Gathering magically energy at his fingertips, he directed it out and into Agent 47's wound. It quickly closed up and stopped bleeding, as the Cure spell did its job.

Agent 47 blinked a few times from underneath his sunglasses. The world was slowly coming into focus once more. And standing over him was Sora's beaming face.

"Is it over?" the hitman asked.

"Yeah," Sora replied.

"I lost, right?"

"Yeah."

"Fine with me. I'll get my money just the same," Agent 47 scoffed. "But I do have a question for you, kid. Why did you save me at the end? You could have just as easily let me fall to my death and no one would have blamed you. It's just business around here."

Sora stopped for a second and thought over how he should answer this question. Finally, he came up with a suitable reply. "You have light inside of you. It's real faint, but it is there. So long as you hold on to that, there's always a chance."

"A chance for what?"

"Redemption," Sora quickly said, ignoring Agent 47's snicker. "Listen, I can sense sadness in your heart. You've buried your feelings a long time ago so that your guilt wouldn't eat you up inside, but they're still there. So long as you hold that spark inside of you, there's always hope. I don't expect you to change overnight, but keep your eyes open to the other possibilities out there. No matter how bleak things long, you're never trapped so long as you don't let that light escape."

After Sora finished his little speech, Agent 47 smiled and laughed a bit. "You're a riot, kid. You and your silly ideals about 'light' and 'redemption'. This world is just too crazy for me, so I'm actually happy to be heading home in a weird sort of way. Anyways, take care."

Agent 47 dusted his suit off and got up. He had lost, but at least he could walk out with his dignity. A grim visage etched on his face, he took a few steps before he stopped and turned around. He said nothing as he looked back at the optimistic youth. Then he opened his mouth, determined to tell Sora something.

"I know this is pretty out of character for me…but here you go," Agent 47 said, as he took off his sunglasses and tossed them to the teenager.

"What's this for?" Sora wondered, a little shocked at this gesture. He caught the dark shades and just turned them over in his hands a few times.

"I hate owing anyone debts," Agent 47 explained. "Consider it my payment to you for saving my life. It's not the contract a normal hitman would take, but for you…it kind of fits." The assassin then turned around and continued walking toward the stadium's exit.

'You know,' Agent 47 thought, 'I had those shades for quite a while. But after looking around for a bit now, the light really isn't so bad. I could get used to this.' He then walked through the door and out of Grandis Somnium. It was time for him to go back to his homeworld, but this time he would be a slightly different person than when he left. This time his eyes would be fully open.

---

"Sora!" a strong voice called out. "Wait! I need to ask you something!"

Sora turned around to face one of the champions himself. "Sure, Cloud. What is it?"

"That final attack you used to knock Agent 47 out…How did you do that without being able to see?" It was clear that this had been bugging the ex-SOLDIER for quite some time.

"I didn't have to see him," Sora explained. "My keyblade naturally seeks out and strives to banish the darkness. And although it was true that he did have some light inside of him, Agent 47 was anything but a saint. I simply threw my weapon and let it do the rest."

"I see. And then you ended up saving him from death. Very admirable."

Sora shrugged. "Some might say that, but it never even crossed my mind. It's just what I do. Besides, I believe in people and always want to bring out the best in them. That also means not adding to the darkness around me. I was just doing my job as the chosen keyblade wielder."

"Well said, Sora. Well said," Cloud chuckled. "Don't let me keep you here any longer then. We'll talk later. I guarantee it. And congratulations once again."

"Thanks, Cloud. See you around!" Sora waved and then ran off to join up with some of his friends.

'He's matured quite a bit since the last time he fought here,' mused Cloud. 'Yet, at the same time, he still holds on to the optimism and brightness that so many people gave up on long ago. I guess my investment really did pay off. So what if it cost me 100,000 gil to make sure he stayed alive? The return I'll get will be worth much more in the long run.'

"Sora, go forth and spread your light," smiled Cloud. "Recruit as many people to the side of good as you can. Heaven knows I'll need all the power I can get, as the future will be anything but easy." The spiky haired blonde man silently walked off, going wherever the whim might take him next.


	29. Interlude: Sneaking Suspicion

**Sneaking Suspicion**  
By Daredevil3181 and Opiate109

Gordon Freeman was busy sitting on his bed and flipping through the stale channels on the television. This dimension just didn't seem to have shows like he did back home. No TLC or Discovery Channel. Just a bunch of really low brow comedies and a few inane news broadcasts.

'Not sure if it's the hour, or the fact that everything around here is utterly pointless,' wondered Gordon. 'Speaking of pointless, I wonder where blondie's at?' The scientist was snapped out of his thoughts by a knock at the door.

"Speak of the devil," Gordon chuckled, as he got up off his bed and took a good hard look at his visitor through the peephole.

"What do you want?" he asked, feigning boredom.

"Let me in already, you ass," hissed the woman.

"I'm sorry, the password must be in the form of a question. If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try aga-"

"Gordon, if you don't open this door in three seconds I swear I will break it open and shove its pieces into your spine."

"OK, OK, chill," Gordon said rapidly, hoping to calm the waters of Samus' building anger. He ran his hands across two and three locks. When the last one clicked open, there was a terrific push against the door, throwing the man to the bed. In stormed a very determined bounty hunter.

"Nice to see you too," smiled Gordon.

"Oh, c'mon. Cut the crap," Samus said gruffly. She tried to hide it, but there was a trace of a smile on her face. "Did you get them done in time?"

Gordon frowned. "Why do you continue to doubt me?" He then reached into a bag underneath his desk and pulled out two sets of unique goggles.

"I doubt you because you haven't killed any Metroids yet. Or space pirates. Or simply won a match." Samus was enjoying pushing his buttons.

Gordon ignored the woman. "I based it off your helmet's design and shrunk it down into these scanners. Not as strong as the original, obviously, but much lighter. They'll do the job." He then tried one on himself and handed the other to Samus.

The bounty hunter took the gadget from Gordon and slipped it over her head. She saw everything exactly as it should be in the room. Putting her hand up to the side of the device, she clicked a button. Now she could see the heat signatures in the area. Clicking again, she moved into X-ray view. Finally, she moved into the last mode and she could see into the electromagnetic spectrum.

"Adequate," Samus said.

"Adequate my ass," Gordon huffed. "Those are damn good and you know it, Ms. Aran."

Samus didn't say another word. She simply reached into her jogging suit and pulled out a compact pistol. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it to Gordon.

"A present for me? You shouldn't have," said Gordon. He then picked it up and tested out its weight.

"Be careful with that. It's loaded with real bullets. Mine has the tranquilizers. I'm a faster draw and I prefer to use non-lethal force if necessary. These are innocents we'll most likely encounter."

"Super," Gordon said, as he rolled his eyes. He then stuffed the firearm into his waistband, making sure to put the safety on. "You going out like that? The circus just left a few days ago. You might stand out just a tad."

"Quiet," Samus growled. "The jogging suit was just to get over here. I have something much better underneath." She then zipped off the outer garments to reveal a form fitting black suit underneath.

"Much better," Gordon commented. "If we can't manage to sneak past the guards, your chest will most likely keep them occupied long enough."

Samus shot him a look. "You're just jealous."

"Yes, I'm jealous I don't have breasts. You got me, Samus."

Samus just walked over to the window. "Look, I can keep this up as long as you can, but we should probably head out."

"Uhhh…Samus, I think that suit's cutting off some of your air supply. The door's the other way," Gordon pointed out.

"Yeah, I know. We're not going out the door. We'll leave by the window and make sure we stick to the shadows. As far as everyone else should know, we'll be in your room the entire night." The mercenary then tossed the scientist a thick, black nylon rope.

"I hope you know how to rappel," Samus called out, as she began to fasten her cord to the bottom of the inside window sill.

Gordon didn't really, but he was sure he could figure it out. He saw it on TV once or twice. Besides, he wasn't going to let a girl show him up, especially not Samus. "Yeah, I'll manage."

"Great, just be sure to turn on the television to something we'd both watch together. A little noise will cover up the wind blowing in." And with that, Samus began her descent.

"Something we both would watch, hmmmm…" Gordon mused. He flipped through a few of his normal channels. Still not satisfied, he quickly accessed the pay ones and settled on something he could be happy with. He then walked over to the window and tied his nylon in a similar fashion to Samus'.

"Well, here goes nothing…Geronimo!" Gordon leapt out promptly smacked right into the wall.

'Note to self,' Gordon thought, as he clutched his bruised side. 'When leaping out of a tall building, make sure you have slack in your rope.' He then hurried down to meet up with the bounty hunter and carry out their objective.

----

The man slid through the blackness of night and reached the meeting point. The note had been vague about the location and purpose, but he guessed it was out of necessity. He brushed aside some of the thick foliage and was stopped dead in his tracks when he felt a gun press firmly into the back of his neck.

"It's me, Snake," Kratos said. "I got your note. Now, would you mind pointing that gun away from me and telling me what this is all about?"

"Backup," Snake simply replied. "But first, you need to lower you voice a little. This is a stealth mission and all."

"Stealth?" wondered the swordsman. "Where are we going that we need to be sneaking around?"

"Some of the 'off limits' areas in the medical facility," Snake explained. Kratos waited for him to elaborate a little more, but the military man would say no more.

"To do what exactly?" Kratos asked, after a long pause.

Snake rolled his eyes at the other man. "You said you saw Manny's soul, or something that looked like my previous opponent, fly out into the air. And you said it came from the stadium's medical area."

"Right, but how does this help us? You're trying to look for a soul?"

"No," sighed Snake. "You know I wondered where Lloyd gets it from, but now I know. There must be some evidence around. Hard evidence. Someone has to know something. It's our job to find that evidence and then analyze it."

"You've really put a lot of thought into this," said Kratos, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Came to me over breakfast this morning," Snake said. Kratos didn't know if Snake was making a joke or not. After mulling it over for a second or two, he realized he didn't really care.

"Alright, then," Kratos said. "Let's head out."

"Not so fast," Snake ordered, as he put his hand across Kratos' chest, halting the man's movement. "You might have lived for a long time, but you're still no expert in sneaking. You need to drop all of that extra gear."

"My weapons?" Kratos asked in disbelief. "But then what will I have to defend myself."

"Relax," Snake said. "If we do this right, you won't need to defend yourself. Just drop them in the bushes over there."

Kratos did as he was told. When he walked back over to Snake, the stealth expert handed him a light, yet surprisingly durable, knife. The swordsman turned it over once or twice and then looked back at the gruff man.

"Insurance," Snake explained. "I have a silenced pistol, but I'm guessing you don't know how to work it as well as me. That should fit fine into your hands. Just make sure to secure it somewhere when it's not in use. The silver could reflect off something if you're not careful."

"Fine," Kratos grumbled, doing as he was told. He wasn't used to being ordered around like this and he didn't much care for it. "Shall we go now?"

"Yeah, I think we're ready," Snake said, as he looked everything over. "Follow my lead and do what I tell you. We don't want to create a commotion from pointless arguing."

He then slinked off through the foliage and toward the stadium. Kratos merely looked up at the sky. After gathering his thoughts, he headed out and proceeded to follow the mercenary. This was going to be quite a bit different than any sort of missions he had back home.

----

'This will sure be something different,' Mega Man thought, as he envisioned the chaos that would result from this late night activity.

The blue bomber stood in front of the Trump Towers hotel, peering intently into the lobby through the recently cleaned glass doors. He watched the stairs and elevator closely, awaiting the arrival of those who he had sent his letter to. While he was doing this, he made sure to re-check his memory bank, scanning for any information that may unintentionally cause him to cheat. He confirmed the absence of any such thing, just as the hotel door crashed into his side.

Mega Man stumbled to his left, but quickly recovered. He turned to see the first contestant arrive. It was his first round opponent, Conker, who now stood before him. Mega Man attempted to greet the squirrel, but was distracted by a shout followed by a feminine sounding greeting coming from the lobby.

The always cheerful Luigi Mario was running towards Mega Man, his grin somehow displaying both confusion and happiness. He shoved the door open with a giddy shout, and jumped up. "Its-a me, Lu-"

He was cut off by Conker's cold, sarcastic voice. "Shut up," said the hairy creature, smirking at Luigi. Before Luigi could respond, Rikku and Zidane pushed him out of their way, having just opened the lobby doors themselves. Sonic and Vyse followed those two, who were trailed by Pac-Man and Ness.

"Alright, I guess this is everyone," Mega Man said to the group of contestants. " I suppose you're all wondering why I've gathered you here?" His question was answered explicitly by Conker, leaving a few contestants shocked. "Anyways, I called you here to participate in a little scavenger hunt I organized. There's been enough talk of the contest, so I thought it'd be nice for a little break. We were going to have four teams of three, but I guess a few people couldn't make it. So, how does three teams of three sound?"

Mega Man was astonished that no one objected to the whole idea. Not one question was asked. Everyone just nodded and awaited Mega Man's orders. "Alright then. Ness, can I borrow your hat?" Ness nodded, and handed the hat to the blue robot. Mega Man took out a piece of paper and pen, which he had been holding for this very event. After some quick writing, and a few tears, nine pieces of paper were placed into the hat. "Everyone take one piece of paper. There are three labels: 'A,' 'B,' and 'C'. Each of these is written on three pieces of paper. The three who draw the A's will form team A, and so forth. Understand?"

The group didn't respond, they just reached into the hat as quickly as they could, eagerly waiting to see whose team they were on. When only one piece of paper remained, Mega Man looked at it. "Team A," he said, awaiting an answer.

Luigi smiled and quickly walked over to him. Ness followed, and both showed Mega Man their pieces of paper. Mega Man nodded, as he read two 'A's', and noticed that the other two teams had already been formed. He looked at his team and smiled. 'Great. A coward and a human kid. Oh well, so long as they stay out of my way or decide to actually help out,' Mega Man thought to himself.

Ness shared similar feelings to those of Mega Man. 'Oh god, not Luigi. Why'd we have to get the sidekick? Oh well, I'll just let Mega Man do all the work!' Ness smiled to himself and looked at Luigi.

The green-clad plumber noticed his two teammates were staring at him. Speechless, he just smiled and did his trademark air punch. His teammates were speechless as well, as they sighed quite loudly in unison.

Meanwhile, Zidane was enjoying one half of his team already. "So, Rikku. You and me, eh?" Zidane said, attempting to sound sly. He raised his eyebrows, but quickly frowned as the blonde turned away from him. "Damn," Zidane said under his breath, scratching the back of his head.

His attention was drawn to his other teammate, who Rikku ran up to. Vyse, the air pirate, was leaning carelessly against the side of the hotel. He walked up to Mega Man, ignoring Rikku's giddy greetings. "Say, what items should we be looking for anyways?"

Mega Man, who was still musing and frowning at Luigi's actions, snapped back into reality. "Oh, right. Here's the list," he said, handing two identical pieces of paper to Vyse and Sonic. Vyse walked back over to Zidane and showed his teammate the items on it.

Sonic decided to check over the list first, however. "These are some pretty strange items you've got here! Sure all these even exist?"

"Of course they exist. I've already found them," Mega Man responded. He expected the accusation of cheating, which expectedly came from Conker. After the squirrel's vulgar rant, Mega Man took the time to explain himself. "Don't worry, I completely erased the items' locations from my memory bank. Would I really go to all this trouble just to cheat?"

Sonic, who had known Mega Man for years due to these contests, nodded. "It's true, Mega here wouldn't do something like that," he said. The blue hedgehog turned to his own teammates, Conker and Pac-Man. He eyed the pair warily and thought of possible uses they could serve. 'Well, Pac-Man, he… Uh…'

Sonic's thoughts came to screeching halt, so he turned to Conker. "Oh even better. A profane squirrel with one too many guns…" Sonic hadn't noticed he'd spoken aloud until he got an earful of Conker's angry response.

Pac-Man, who liked both members of his team, decided he should make peace between the two. "Hey, stop that! No need to fight! We can't win if we don't get along," Pac-Man said.

Conker, in his ignorance, realized for the first time that the yellow dot could talk. "YOU… CAN…TALK!" Conker exclaimed, not even cursing once, much to the surprise of Mega Man.

"Of course I can. Why wouldn't I be able to?" Pac-Man asked, looking at Sonic with a grin.

The blue hedgehog smiled. 'Well, if nothing else, this should be good for a laugh, at least.'

"Alright, everyone ready?" Mega Man asked. "We'll report back here in three hours, so that will be 2 AM. Team with the most items found or who gets here in the fastest amount of time wins!" He didn't await a response, as he simply held his arm up and shot his blaster in the air. "Go!"

----

'Stopped…again!' Sonic thought. 'I'm not even moving at a fraction of my full speed and already I have to have to wait for those two to catch up to me!'

The blue hedgehog sighed as he looked down the dark, empty street. He turned around, only to find that his teammates had yet to catch up. He tapped his foot on the ground impatiently and looked around some more. He decided this downtime would be a perfect opportunity to go over the list.

"Let's see… Number seven sounds easy. I mean, how hard can getting a napkin from a fancy restaurant be?" Sonic reevaluated his sarcastic tone when he remembered who his teammates were, in the midst of a conversation of their own.

"So… Conker, what do you do?" Pac-Man asked in a happy tone.

'God, he sounds like someone's grandfather…' Conker thought. "Listen you relic, shut up!"

Pac-Man gasped at the hostility shown by his teammate. "Now, come on. That's no way to treat a friend!"

"You're not my friend, gramps. Shut. Up!"

"Don't be mean."

"Shut the hell up!"

"Okay, okay, fine," Pac-Man said, shrugging. "But, you know you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."

Sonic could just now make out the words on Conker's lips as he drew closer. He smiled at the two, who were incredibly mismatched. "Alright guys, enough of that. We need to get a napkin from a fancy restaurant, so let's check the garbage behind The Silver Skillet."

"Where's The Silver Skillet?" Conker asked, reaching towards his belt of weapons. Sonic took no notice and pointed at the building just behind him.

"Come on, the trash should be just around the corner," Sonic said, as Pac-Man moved towards him.

"Fuck that!" Conker shouted. The blue hedgehog wheeled around just in time to see Conker fire his rocket launcher at the wooden back door of the restaurant. In a glorious bang, the door seemed to disintegrate, leaving only smoke and a cracked doorframe behind.

Sonic grimaced as he saw several lights go on in nearby apartments. 'Oh no…,' he thought, as he pulled Pac-Man inside the building with him. Conker followed, hoping to avoid any eyes that were watching from the window.

"You idiot! You're going to get us disqualified!" Sonic shouted, moving further into the kitchen of the restaurant.

"Besides, Conker. It's not nice to blow up things that aren't yours…" Pac-Man reprimanded the young squirrel.

"Shut the fuck up. I got the damn napkins. What the hell do you care?" Conker asked, turning to leave the restaurant, napkins in hand.

"I guess you're right. Let's just try to get away from here quickly. Number six on the list is a discarded child's shoe. Must be lots of those around, we just have to look in the right places," Sonic said. "Alright, guys, let's run towards the hotel and as soon as we get far enough away, we can stop and look for number six, got it?" Upon seeing his teammates nod, he ran as fast as he could out of the building.

"You first, I insist," Pac-Man said politely. He gestured calmly to the door and smiled.

"If you don't shut up, I'm gonna shove my foot so far up-" His rude words were interrupted by a voice coming from the front of the restaurant.

"Shit! It's the owner! Run!" The squirrel took off at a run in the direction Sonic had left in. Pac-Man followed close behind, or so Conker thought, as he could only hear a "Wakka" for each step the yellow ball took.

The two finally met up with Sonic, who was holding back his laughter. "Pac-Man, you make that noise when you run? I thought it was just when you eat."

"Guess not," Pac-Man said, shrugging carelessly.

"What the hell is it?" Conker asked quickly.

"You know what? I honestly have no idea," Pac-Man replied. The silence that followed was both humorous and uncomfortable.

"Say, Pac-Man, did you buy those shoes here? They look new…" Conker observed, without swearing. His polite tone made Sonic wary, but he said nothing.

"Why yes, I certainly did. In that store right over there," Pac-Man said, pointing to a small box shaped store across the street.

"Good," Conker said, as he began walking towards the store. He pulled out a simple pistol and fired at the look on the door. Sonic winced, but thankfully no lights went on after the bang. Conker kicked the door open and ran inside.

"Conker, what are you doing? It's not nice to steal…" Pac-Man said, worried that his teammate had no morals to stop from doing these crazy things.

"Shut the fuck up," Conker called back, as he emerged with a small shoe in hand.

"Conker, that's cheating, and it's not even used or dirty. Who would throw that away?" Sonic asked. He watched as Conker walked to a puddle and threw shoe in. He rubbed the mud all over the shoe and wiped it off on the grass beside him. Then the squirrel proceeded to stop on the footwear until it had a few holes in it.

"Used enough?" Conker asked. Sonic merely sighed and looked at the next item on the list.

"Let's finish this quick," Pac-Man requested meekly. "I want to go back and do my exercises."

"Exercises for what?" Sonic wondered, lifting an eyebrow.

"My legs. I need to do my squats."

"You're an idiot," Conker jeered. "No one in their right mind would squat down anywhere willingly. That shit is real uncomfortable."

---

Samus and Gordon were both squatting down, flipping their goggles through different energy signatures, trying to find anything out of the ordinary. Their search had brought them to a few odd sections of the training center. Thankfully, there was no one here at this time, but it didn't make the searching and less difficult.

"You know, this reminds me of when I was in summer camp," Gordon whispered. "Just me and the boys, squatting down and-"

"Gordon!" Samus interrupted him, making sure to keep her voice a whisper. "I don't need to hear your random mumblings about something that did or didn't happen. What I do need is for you to help me find any strange energy patterns."

"Well, excuuuuse me, princess," Gordon said, causing Samus to grind her teeth. "What do you think the weird energy will look like anyways?"

"I don't know," shrugged Samus. "Just something out of the ordinary."

"Like a purple coil of tendrils wrapping around another residual signature?"

"Yes!" Samus exclaimed. "Where did you-"

"Look at about 1 o'clock, 500 meters away, in electromagnetic spectrum mode," Gordon instructed. Samus did as he said and was shocked to find an energy signature behaving the way it did. It was a residual mark, but it was almost as if it was still active and attacking other residual energies from time to time.

"Gordon, you've done it. Now let's just…" Samus stopped short as she heard some voices.

"What's wrong?" the scientist wondered.

"People are here," Samus said. "All of them are armed. We need to lay low."

"Thing they have a clue that we're here?" wondered Gordon.

"I wouldn't be surprised," Samus said, as she gritted her teeth and scurried off.

---

"I don't have a clue why we're here," Rikku whined. "Why did you drag us to the training center again, Vyse?"

"Item number three on the list is a claw," explained Vyse, for the fifth time. "People train here, specifically Bowser and the recently departed Yuri. One of them might have chipped a talon off in a virtual reality skirmish."

"Yeah, but there's so much other stuff we still need to look for," sighed Rikku. "We've only found the ninth item, which was a used contact lens. Whoop-de-doo."

"Hey, Rikku," said Zidane. "Mind telling me what the first item on the list was?"

The girl looked to the top of the paper she was holding. "A naked Rikku….Hey!"

"C'mon, Rikku!" Zidane laughed. "Don't you want to help us win?"

"Shut up you two!" Vyse shouted. "I swear it's like I'm babysitting or something."

"Oh, lighten up, Blue Rogue," chuckled Zidane. "Three thieves such as ourselves should have an easy time in finding the rest of the stuff once we got rolling."

"Not if you keep 'editing' the list," pointed out Vyse.

"Relax. The real first item was a triangular shaped rock. Boring!"

"Boring or not," Vyse sighed. "We need to find it if we want to win."

"Hey!" Rikku yelled. "Is that a claw over there?"

"This?" Vyse asked, bending down to pick up something off the floor.

"Yeah!" Rikku laughed. "You should thank me so much for finding that, Vyse. Let's go out sometime!"

Vyse simply opened up Rikku's hand. He then shoved something sticky into it and closed it tight. Rikku looked at the air pirate in bewilderment.

"Congratulations, Rikku," Vyse huffed. "You found some used chewing gum."

"Nice!" commented Zidane. "What flavor? You know I was chewing something a few days ago that had the distinct aroma of-"

---

"-moldy pieces of cheese," Kratos observed, as he crinkled his nose at the smell.

"What?" Snake asked, as he heard Kratos sniffing in disgust.

"It smells in here," Kratos said.

"We're in an air duct. What'd you expect?" Snake asked, not bothering to turn his head.

"Why did we have to take the air duct? Couldn't I have just flown you over?" Kratos asked Snake, who was a few feet in front of him.

"We're trying not to draw attention to ourselves here…" Snake grumbled, as he crawled forward a few more inches.

"Very well. But why does it smell?" Kratos asked again, edging forward to keep up with Snake.

"I guess the old saying is true…"

"What saying?"

"Like father, like son," Snake replied with a slight chuckle. Kratos would have normally grown angry at the insult to himself and Lloyd, but he was too busy keeping up with the stealth expert to take much notice.

"You're right though…something is wrong. Someone's been here before, I can tell…"

"You don't think it was someone who would harm us, do you?" Kratos asked, crawling a foot forward, and halting when he reached Snake. The cautious agent hadn't moved and was leaning forward. Kratos could tell he was trying to hear something, so he wisely held his tongue.

A few minutes passed before Snake finally acted again. "Keep your voice down from now on. You've been talking too loudly. The noise echoes through here to several different spots in the stadium. Straight ahead is the medical room, and we need to be careful. I don't know where the other intruders are, but there's definitely someone else here."

Kratos didn't respond, he merely followed Snake, who was quickly crawling towards the light ahead of him. 'Intruders…This knife won't do me any good against the contest organizers…'

"Snake, what exactly do you expect to find? I mean, it must have something to do with Link, Cloud, Sephiroth, or perhaps all three. If they are here, do we really stand a chance?"

"What makes you so sure it's them? There are other things happening here. Several contestants are acting strangely and half of them I just plain don't trust," replied Snake.

"Be that as it may, what if we run into something we can't handle?" Kratos asked grimly. His grip on the knife Snake had given him tightened, as the solider dropped into the room. Kratos followed, still awaiting a response.

"Damn, get down!" Snake whispered harshly. He ducked, followed quickly by Kratos.

The military man was shocked at the damage here. The entire medical room had been destroyed. Only mangled furniture remained, as well as several unrecognizable objects. Snake surveyed the area, but found no one. He motioned for Kratos to stay where he was. Kratos nodded as Snake slowly stood up, looking towards the doorway. He quickly crept over to the door without making a sound and shut it.

"What happened here?" Kratos asked in a whisper. He stood up as well, awaiting an answer.

"Who knows. I'm just glad the door didn't get blown apart," Snake responded grimly. He drew his gun, clearly worried. "Look around and try to find anything that may be of value here."

Kratos nodded and began to search the room. After several minutes of silently rummaging through ruined furniture, he realized it was futile. "I don't think we'll find anything here."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Looks like someone may be trying to destroy evidence. Let's look around a little more, but we need to do it fast. I think someone is catching on to us," Snake observed. Kratos nodded in grim acknowledgement, as Snake loaded his SOCOM pistol and cautiously walked out into the dimly lit hallway.

----

"You're not-a gonna catch-a anything if you-a do it like that!" shouted Luigi.

"And you have a better idea?" asked Mega Man, who was sifting through overturned trash cans.

"Yeah, can I please put this thing down?" whimpered Ness. "It's getting heavy."

"Look, you complained when I fired a blast and cleared that other room of debris. Now you complain when I do things the 'old-fashioned' way," Mega Man sighed. "What do you people want with me?"

"We just want to find the rotten banana peel," replied Ness. "It's the second item on the list and so far we've had no luck."

"Wouldn't it-a be better to look-a in a cafeteria?" suggested Luigi.

"No," answered Mega Man. "Other groups have probably already tried that. I wouldn't be surprised if there are no more rotten banana peels left in this entire city."

"But we-a don't know!" exclaimed Luigi. "We should-a get out-a here! I think I hear-a someone coming!"

"Just your nerves talking," laughed Mega Man. "What are they going to do? Disqualify us for looking through trash?"

"Maybe not," said Ness, throwing the bin down in disgust. "But I'm tired of holding these things. Let's just move on and search in a different area."

"See! I'm-a right! Luigi is-a always the best!" the green plumber exclaimed.

"Quiet!" Mega Man said. "You haven't helped out at all. You just stand around and shake your knees whenever we ask for you to look for something."

"I gave-a you my-a left sock," Luigi smiled, as he took his bare foot out of his shoe and wiggled his toes around a little bit.

"Oh yeah, that was for the tenth item on here, right?" commented Ness, taking out the paper.

"OK, so you did help a little," the blue bomber conceded. "But we still need you to pick up the slack. I wouldn't be surprised if the other's are more than halfway done by now. We've only found four things."

"Leave it-a to me!" Luigi proclaimed. He then puffed his chest up and ran toward a door. He jerked it open and went inside, determined to lead his team to victory.

After a long pause, Mega Man turned to Ness. "Should we go and tell him he stepped inside a broom closet?"

"Nope," chuckled Ness. "It's funnier this way."

----

Sonic continued to scan the list, looking for something he could find without too much trouble. He thought of all the places that would be closed at this time and began to grow a little discouraged.

"Sonic, let me see that," Conker demanded, walking closer to his teammate. He snatched the list from Sonic and began to scan the items. Conker muttered a few things to himself, before fixing his eyes on item number five. "Pac-Man, what kind of animal are you?"

"What?" Pac-Man asked, looking at Conker, then to Sonic. He noticed the blue hedgehog looked both amused and dismayed, as he discovered what item Conker was looking at.

"What kind of fucking animal are you?" Conker asked, taking a step closer to his yellow teammate.

"I'm not an animal, I'm a man," Pac-Man said.

"So…Your name is really just Pac?" Sonic asked, confused and amused.

"What? Oh heavens no…You see, I'm not the only one of my species, which is called the 'Pac-Man'. There are many of us. It all started long ago, when-" Pac-Man's informative ramblings were cut off by the sound of a pistol being loaded. He noticed Conker was pointing the gun at his forehead.

"Shut the fuck up and give me your fur. That's the next item: the shedded fur of an animal," Conker said, taking a step closer to the yellow sphere.

"But Conker, I'm not an animal," Pac-Man said, raising his hands defensively. The yellow icon took a few steps back, attempting to keep his distance from the insane squirrel.

"Fuck you!" Conker said, as he noticed Pac-Man take off at a run.

Sonic watched the scene with much amusement. Pac-Man ran as fast as he could, trying to avoid the rodent. "Wakka, wakka, wakka." The repeated noise drove Sonic to tears, as a worried yellow sphere attempted to outrun a gun-wielding squirrel.

"Get back here, you motherfucker!"

"Wakka, wakka, wakka, wakka."

"Stop that, you piece of shit!" Conker shouted, as he shot at Pac-Man's back. The wildly fired bullet missed Pac-Man by several feet and hit a window of a nearby house. "Oh hell! Run!"

Sonic sighed, as he took off, easily outrunning his companions. He hid behind a dumpster outside the shoe store and awaited his slower teammates. He looked around and noticed the lid of the dumpster was open. After some rummaging, Sonic emerged with a pair of scissors in hand. His teammates had yet to arrive, so he placed the scissors behind his back and crouched down.

Sonic knew the two slowpokes were close and patiently waited their arrival. When the patter of squirrel feet and the annoying "Wakka's" had stopped, he found the two collapsed in front of him.

"Oh no, Conker. That wasn't nice of you," Pac-Man wheezed to the squirrel, who plopped down beside him.

"Fuck off!" Conker whispered harshly. "Sonic, what are you doing back there?" Conker turned to see Sonic shove something shiny behind his back.

"Nothing at all. Alright, I found some animal fur in this dumpster, so let's get out of here," Sonic replied coolly. He held up some light brown fur, smiling slightly.

"What the fuck is this! That's my fur, you piece of shit!" Conker exclaimed, standing up. He pulled out his machine gun, and aimed it at Sonic. Faster than Conker could even place his finger on the trigger, Sonic took off at a run. The sound of laughter, both Sonic's and Pac-Man's echoed through the alley. "Get back here, you bastard!" Conker shouted, as he ran off in Sonic's direction.

Pac-Man, who was still chuckling slightly, sighed. "Now I'll never catch up with those guys." He took off at run, just in time to avoid the owner of the house that had just been vandalized. The homeowner looked in the alley, but shrugged, as he found no trace of anything, just the sound of a few distant "Wakka's".

'Must be my imagination,' the man thought to himself, as he headed back inside.

---

"Who could ever have imagined something like this?" whispered Gordon in awe. He was totally engrossed in this new energy wave discovery. It was all Samus could do to just make sure the scientist didn't bump into any walls while he followed it.

"It definitely is different," agreed Samus. "How far back do you think it goes?"

"Not sure," Gordon shrugged. "But I'm determined to follow it."

"Get down!" Samus shot, as she grabbed Gordon's shirt collar and dragged him to the floor. Just overhead was a security drone, scanning the hallway for anyone who wasn't supposed to be there. The last thing she wanted was for them to be spotted this close.

The engineer watched the metallic machine go by. He then inched his head around and looked Samus square in the eyes. "Think you can keep that thing occupied?"

"Sure, but why?" wondered Samus.

"The energy trail is either going into or coming out of that room over there," Gordon indicated with a finger.

"Why's that so special?" asked Samus, not following the man's drift.

"That's the room that holds the exit portal," Gordon explained. "You know, the room you'll be introduced to after your match with Frog."

"This coming from the guy who can't win," Samus smiled. "So I take it you need some time to hack into the computer and enter there?"

"Correct-a-mundo," nodded Gordon. "Should take me three minutes. Five minutes tops."

"Fine, fine," consented Samus. She then reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a black ski mask. Although her hair was already tied up and out of the way, this would ensure that no one could recognize her in case the cameras did get a look at her face. Never hurt to be safe.

"Oh yeah, and when you're done, I know a great place to go trick-or-treating," said Gordon. "They give out the best Snickers."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. But if I did, I'd probably have to hurt you." Samus then patted the man's shoulder and silently moved in the direction of the security drone.

----

'I'm really going to have to hurt these two,' the Blue Rogue thought. 'They're really starting to put a damper even on my upbeat attitude. And that's not small task.'

Team B was walking through town, looking for the next item on the list. Rikku was humming to herself, which was clearly annoying Vyse. He turned behind him, to see Zidane walking slowly, almost moping.

"Oh, what's wrong now?" Vyse asked. He had an impatient tone, as he was in a hurry to finish. 'God damn it, I don't know which one is dumber…' Vyse thought to himself, as he awaited an answer.

"I thought I saw something in the shadow's back there at the training facility," Zidane replied, sighing slightly.

"What, are you scared?" Vyse shot back.

"No, I'm disappointed. Whatever it was had a real nice rack," the tailed thief replied.

Vyse scowled. "Get your mind out of the gutter and help." He then turned around, only to find Rikku still humming to herself. "Oh Christ, we're never gonna win at this rate. Zidane let me see your camera. I want to make sure you got a good picture of that street sign with no vowels. It took us a long time to find that fourth item."

"Why, don't you trust me?"

"Hell no! Now give me the camera. I don't want to find everything else only to discover that you forgot to take a picture of 'S St.'," Vyse said angrily, taking a step toward his teammate.

"Don't worry, I got a good picture," Zidane reassured him, putting the digital camera behind his back.

"Zidane, just give him the camera," Rikku instructed in her high-pitched, whiny voice. Zidane, realizing he was outnumbered, sighed and handed the camera to Vyse, who snatched it out of the diminutive thief's hands.

"Alright, let's see what you were so hesitant to show me…" Vyse said, turning on the camera.

"Just, uh…remember, I think a few of those pictures were by mistake…I was just trying to figure out how it worked and all…" Zidane warned, scratching the back of his head. He looked down, but could feel Vyse's gaze burning into him just the same.

"Zidane, all these pictures are the same. Number 1: Rikku's ass. Number 2: Rikku's ass. Number 3: Rikku's-"

"My what?" Rikku piped in, as she finally drew closer to her two teammates. She leaned over to look at the camera, which drew Zidane's gaze from the ground to her chest.

"Er, nothing. Don't worry about it," Vyse told her, quickly hiding the camera.

"Okay!" Rikku exclaimed, walking away again. Clearly, she was quite content merely humming and looking for another item on the list.

"Zidane, I've gone through twenty pictures and all of them have been the same. Did you even get a picture of the sign with no vowels?" Vyse asked impatiently. His free hand was slowly moving towards his main cutlass when Zidane grabbed the camera from him.

"Of course I did…It's at the end, just let me find it…" Zidane said calmly, as he quickly scrolled through the library of stored pictures. Finally, a giant grin worked its way on to his face. "Here it is!"

Vyse looked at Zidane suspiciously and grabbed the camera. He sighed when he was what was being shown. "Zidane, this is Rikku's rack…"

"Exactly, those are two B's," Zidane grinned. He looked as if he almost expected a chuckle, or at least a smile. He was slightly upset, however, when Vyse just turned away from him and walked towards Rikku. As he walked towards her, he still scrolled through the rest of the pictures. He abruptly stopped and turned to face Zidane again.

"What the hell is this?" Vyse asked, stifling laughter.

"That's uh…That's Bowser," Zidane replied. "In the shower…"

Vyse couldn't contain his laughter, which caught Rikku's attention. The female thief ran over and looked at the camera. "Eww Zidane! You're sick!" she shouted in disgust. She turned and put a little distance between herself and the other two.

"My finger must have slipped in the locker room…That's all. It's not like it was intentional," Zidane said defensively.

"Sure, buddy. Alright, let's head back to the actual sign now," Vyse said, putting emphasis on the word actual.

"Oh, do we have to? Thanks a lot Zidane," Rikku pouted, as she walked past the two in the direction of the sign. "Now we have to go all the way back there."

Zidane sighed, and shook his head slightly. "Did you really have to show her the Bowser picture?"

Vyse laughed, and began to follow Rikku. "Did you really have to take it? Anyways, don't worry. I think you really impressed her with that last picture."

"Oh, shut up," Zidane huffed.

"Hey, that's not very nice," Rikku frowned at the Genome. "What you should say is-"

---

"Keep quiet," Snake told his companion. He slowly crept to the door and put his ear to the door to listen to what was happening in the hallway.

"Hear anything?" Kratos asked quickly.

"No, sounds empty," Snake replied, slowly opening the door. Kratos followed very closely behind. Snake peeked his head out and checked for any other intruders. He found none, and slowly opened the door wider.

"Alright, there's no way they destroyed all the evidence. Let's check the room across the hall," Snake suggested, slowly exiting the ruined area. Kratos was right behind him, gripping the knife in his hand. Both were moving silently in a crouched position.

"Damn, it's locked. This will take some time. Make sure no one sees us," Snake instructed.

"And what if some innocent fool comes walking down the alleyway?" Kratos wondered.

"If he's here and it's at this time of night, then he's not innocent. Just do what you have to. I trust your judgment," Snake replied coldly. Kratos knew the implication Snake was making and nodded grimly.

'It's most likely our life or theirs…' Kratos told himself. The dark thought was counteracted by a quick image of Lloyd. 'Far too much of idealist, some things are unchangeable…Hopefully, this is not one of those things…'

"Alright, let's go. Easier than I thought it'd be," Snake said, in his usual gruff voice. He pushed the door open and rolled inside. Kratos was jarred out of his thoughts and quickly followed Snake inside.

Once inside, Snake shut the door and looked for something to block it with. "Kratos, help me move that desk in front of the door," Snake ordered. With the angel's help, he successfully barred anyone else from entry into the room. "Alright, you check that desk over there. There has to be something of use inside here."

Kratos didn't say a word, he merely nodded and followed Snake's friendly order. Silently, the two rummaged through the large stacks of papers in the drawers. Kratos searched intently, but found nothing. He began to think this whole mission had been hopeless, until Snake walked over to him. "What did you find?"

"This," Snake said, slamming down a stack of papers on the desk. "Looks like medical records for all the losers so far in the contest. There's gotta be something documented in these." He opened his mouth to speak again, but stopped. "Listen, we've gotta get out of here. Follow me."

Kratos did as he was told. Soon the two were back in the room from which they entered in. Kratos shut the door behind them. "Where shall we go?"

"I found an old warehouse nearby. Seems abandoned, but the lights still work," Snake said.

"You planned this out very well," Kratos commented, as he climbed into the air duct again. He then looked around and was shocked when he realized neither of them had the medical files with them.

"Well, being unprepared can often lead to death. When you've been doing sneaking missions as long as I have, you need to learn to think ahead," Snake said quietly, as he crawled into the air duct, just behind Kratos. "And don't worry about the files. I saved them on my mini camera. It would only arouse more suspicion if people found them missing as well." The two then left the building in silence, not saying another word to each other.

The two got outside and began walking back toward the city. When they got close to the destination, Snake halted them and looked right at Kratos.

"Alright, the warehouse is about a block away. First, we should get your gear," Snake said. Kratos nodded, and took off in the direction where he had met Snake. Snake waited around, doing nothing in particular, and was a little surprised when Kratos' return caught him off guard.

"Ha, so even the great Snake can be surprised," Kratos laughed, after he weighed Snake's reaction.

"This is no time to kid around. There'll be plenty opportunities later," Snake said harshly. Kratos could tell Snake wasn't as annoyed as he let on. The agent walked in a new direction, followed by the now combat-ready angel.

"Where exactly is this warehouse, anyways?" Kratos asked an annoyed Snake.

---

"Inside Tifa's room?" repeated Ness, his mouth wide open.

"Yeah, we need to be real careful about this," advised Mega Man. "For all we know, she could be sleeping in there right now."

"I'm-a sure about it," proclaimed Luigi. "When I-a did the laundry, I-a saw her-a washing the bedsheets. One of them was-a real funny."

"Are you sure it was Tifa?" Mega Man asked real slowly. "Are you sure it wasn't…nobody?"

Luigi just looked around real confused for a bit. He finally just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, it's a better lead than anything else we have," Ness said. "Worth a shot."

The three quietly crept over toward the buxom brunette's room. They tried to be as silent as possible. Ness nodded to Mega Man who nodded to Luigi who just stared at the ceiling. With one huge shove, the three were determined to get into the room and take what they needed.

Just as the trio was about to barge in, they were shocked when the door opened of its own accord. In the hallway stood a very angry Tifa, who was now glaring at them. She had just been woken up and apparently wasn't too happy.

"What do you three want?" she growled. "It's 1:30 in the morning and some of us are trying to get some sleep!"

"Shhhh…shhhh…quiet down," whispered Ness. "We just need to ask a favor of you."

"I'm waiting," Tifa said.

"We…well….ummm…there's no easy way to say this, but…uhhhh…" Mega Man stammered.

"We-a want what you-a sleep in," Luigi smiled.

"What!" Tifa exclaimed. "Are you three some kind of sick perverts or something?"

"Ignore Luigi," Ness told her, trying to calm the woman down. "We're in a scavenger hunt. Item number eight here is some funny looking bedsheets. Luigi said he saw you doing some laundry before and thought he spotted you handling something that met this description."

"Oh, he must have meant those," Tifa said, rolling her eyes and emphasizing the word "those". She went inside and when she came back out, she was holding a beige bedsheet. On it was a pattern of her, Cloud, and some other blonde-haired man riding on Chocobos.

Mega Man was barely able to suppress his laughter at the sight. "Looks like Luigi wasn't lying after all. Those are ridiculous, even by Dr. Light's standards."

"We got these as a souvenir for winning the Chocobo races over at the Gold Saucer," Tifa explained. "Look, if you're going to laugh at me, you can forget about borrowing them."

"No, that's alright," Ness said. He grabbed the sheets before Tifa had a chance to pull them back in. "We'll bring them back tomorrow morning, alright?"

"Isn't that this morning?" Tifa groaned, still annoyed at this whole intrusion.

"Yeah, probably," Mega Man shrugged. "Look, thanks again."

The three then left the hallway, now in a mad rush to find the rest of the items before the time limit was up. They only had half an hour left before it was time to meet everyone back at the lobby.

"You-a know," Luigi puffed. "When I-a go home, I'm-a gone make Mario and me some-a sheets just like-a these."

"You are SO weird," Mega Man shot back. "And based on the fact that normal isn't exactly commonplace around here, that's saying a lot."

---

"I am not," Snake huffed. "I'm just cautious is all."

"Whatever you say," Kratos sneered, as he rolled his eyes. "So, find anything of interest in those files?"

"Nothing really, just normal vital stats and such. It's just that with all this information, there has to be-"

"What is it?" Kratos wondered, a little unnerved at Snake's sudden pause.

"Take a look at this," Snake instructed, as he shoved his miniature camera into the angel's hands.

"Really, I think you're overreacting, Snake," Kratos observed, after he could find nothing out of the ordinary. "It says that all the contestants here are in fine condition before being sent back."

"Does comatose sound 'fine' to you?" Snake jeered, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, you're right!" Kratos exclaimed. He then began to flip through the rest of the images. "Every single contestant here all shows the same lifeless symptoms. It's like they're alive and moving, but at the same time, they're not there."

"And underneath all those descriptions, the quack medical doctor wrote they were in 'fine condition to return home'. Something doesn't add up."

"It seems like there is definitely a conspiracy afoot," Kratos agreed. "And it's a bit more far-reaching than one would initially think. What do your propose we do about it?"

"For now?" Snake questioned. "Nothing. Let's just observe and see if these trends continue. I say we make our move next round."

"True," Kratos nodded. "We should wait until suspicion dies down some after all that commotion tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if security is stepped up a notch or two very soon. Besides, I should have no problem with an old man like Diablo."

"Be very careful," Snake warned. "Appearances can often be deceiving. But yes, I feel that you will win too. Why else would I have made you my confidant if I thought you would be taking an early exit?"

"Thanks for the vote for confidence," Kratos said. He wasn't sure if he was trying to be sarcastic or not. "Well, it appears our work here is done. Shall we head in for the evening?"

---

"No. I still have a little left to do," replied Gordon. "But thanks for keeping that blasted robot busy."

"Just doing my job and protecting your weak hide. So now that we're in the portal room, what did you want to do next?" Samus wondered.

"The energy trail is just as I feared. It goes right into the portal," sighed Gordon.

"Do you think it's from a worker around here? I'd say we should go check down below, but it probably has more security measures than up here."

"You're right," Gordon reassured his companion. "But luckily, we won't need to go down there. This computer has a log of every time the portal was in use during this contest and what it was used for. I just need to hack in and find out what I need."

"Gordon, will this be much longer? I don't want to complain, but I'm starting to get a little ti-"

"Done," Gordon beamed. He readjusted his glasses as he watched all the information scroll past. He then hit a key on the keyboard, pausing the screen at a particular part. "I think we found our culprit."

"So, what did they send out?" Samus queried.

"That's the problem," Gordon shook his head. "It's not what was sent out. It's what came IN."

"But I thought that this thing was only capable of sending people back to their home dimensions," Samus said.

"So did I," Gordon said. "But it looks like we were wrong."

"Can you find out what exactly it was that came through?" Samus wondered. If there was a serious threat around here, she wanted to know about it as soon as possible.

"No," Gordon apologized. "It might not even be one thing or person. It might be a few. All I know is that it's a big energy signature and it perfectly matches what we scanned earlier this evening."

"Think this has to do with the way a few of the contestants are acting a bit strangely?" Samus prodded.

"I can't be sure," Gordon answered. "But my gut tells me 'yes'."

"Perfect," Samus groaned. "Can we do anything about it now?"

"No. Best thing to do now is just head back to the hotel and get some sleep. We can talk about this later on in the morning."

---

"Fuck no!" Shouted Conker impatiently. "I'm not waiting till morning! Tell us the winner now!"

"Alright, alright," said Mega Man defensively. "Just give me a second to figure it out…" The blue bomber then turned around, leaving the crowd in suspense.

"Vyse, we've got this in the bag," Zidane whispered. He nudged his teammate with his elbow and laughed a bit.

"I doubt it. And even if we do win, it's no thanks to you," Vyse spoke harshly, not bothering to look at his upset teammate.

"Who cares if we win…I found my Vysie!" Rikku exclaimed, attempting to hug the air pirate.

"Shut up, you were no help either," Vyse said, walking away from the energetic girl.

"Ouch. Tough break, Rikku. How about we go discuss it over a nice drink…or two?" Zidane asked, winking at her. Rikku turned away quickly, once again leaving Zidane all alone.

"Okay, it seems the winner is Team C! Conker, Sonic and Pac-Man!" Mega Man shouted abruptly. "Congratulations!"

"Fuck yeah!" Conker shouted. "Even though you were cheating, we still kicked your sorry ass!"

"Now, now Conker," Pac-Man said calmly. "There's no need for name calling…"

"Pac-Man's-a right! Your words, they-a hurt me!" Luigi said, stifling a few tears. Ness and Mega Man just sighed and turned away from their teammate.

"Shut the fuck up, bitch!" Conker shouted at Luigi, which caused the plumber to cry even more.

Sonic was enjoying his victory silently, laughing at the reactions of the teams. He noticed Zidane was looking at his camera, while Rikku was following a very annoyed Vyse around. Mega Man and Ness were laughing, but quickly stopped their merriment when Luigi ran over and tried to join in.

"Luigi, go away," Ness said coldly. Mega Man laughed slightly, but stopped when he saw Luigi's frown.

"You guys don't-a like me?" Luigi asked through tears. He turned away and began to sob in his hands. Mega Man looked at Ness, and the two just shrugged at each other. Someone would have to comfort the green plumber after the loss, but neither of them wanted to do it.

"Quite the teammate you have there. A bit of a handful, but he's still better than mine were," Sonic said to the two, pointing to his own two former companions. Conker was currently chasing Pac-Man around the street. The yellow sphere was trying his best to avoid anything in his way, but he couldn't help but run into Vyse.

"Hey, watch it!" Vyse said, as he turned to face Pac-Man. He didn't even notice Rikku until she ran up and hugged him as fast as she could.

"Yeah, but it's probably still better than being with Rikku," Mega Man laughed. "Speaking of which, where'd Zidane go?"

"Who knows? I saw him walk away a while ago with his camera," Ness replied.

The three thought about it for a second, but came to no conclusion. Overhearing the conversation, Vyse couldn't help but laugh and then shudder at the thought, even while running away from the blonde who was always at his heels.

"Vysie! Come back!" Rikku shouted, just before colliding with Conker. Vyse laughed at the scene, as Pac-Man walked up next to him. The two quickly noticed their pursuers slowly getting up and ran inside the hotel. Conker and Rikku weren't far behind.

"Say, Mega, why'd you organize this anyways?" Sonic asked, looking at the blue robot. He didn't even notice that Ness had left, following Conker into the hotel.

Mega Man shrugged. "Something fun. "I had enough talk of this boring contest."

"True. It's true a lot of these newcomers really don't know how to take their mind off of fighting," Sonic observed. He watched as Zidane walked towards the hotel, after coming out of a nearby alleyway.

"Of course, some of them can't seem to get their minds ON fighting…" Mega Man laughed, as he began to walk towards the hotel.

Sonic slowly followed him, looking around the streets. He saw the broken windows, the ruined restaurant, and other signs of his team's passing. He thought back on all the bullets that Conker had fired and then took a long hard look at the sobbing mass that was Luigi. "Any chance you'd want to do this again next year?"


	30. Kirby vs Cecil: Simple Plan

**Kirby vs. Cecil: Simple Plan**

By Daredevil3181 and Riceball

The paladin sat down in his room, his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He was deep in reflection, putting all fears and doubts he had about the coming match out of his mind. So many countless hours he had spent in the training area, fighting a wide array of complex and frightening monsters. There would be absolutely no way that he would lose this match and disgrace his honor.

Although Cecil Harvey was a phenomenal warrior in his own right, he was used to traveling and fighting in large groups. He could physically bash his way into most situations, but if the enemy showed some resistance to his attacks or inflicted a major wound on him, the paladin would falter. He had no offensive magic and no powerful healing spells. For the most part, it was just him and his weapons. And that was why he had trained intensively; to hone his individual strengths and find ways to compensate for his weaknesses.

Cecil finally cracked his eyes open and stared at the massive clock in his room. Most contestants had preferred to have a simple, digital alarm, whereas Cecil had requested an older grandfather clock. This world was so alien to him, that anything he could do to make himself feel more comfortable was worth the extra money it might cost.

'Time to go,' Cecil told himself. It was well over two hours before his match, but the paladin wanted to make sure he was there on time. He was not one to disrespect his opponent, no matter how strange, by showing up to his match late.

The knight was clad in only a plain white shirt and a pair of breeches. He didn't have much more in the way of clothes, as he was never a fan of excess materialistic things. There had been a time when he was bit more absorbed in those things as a Dark Knight, but those days were long behind him now.

He methodically began to put on his gleaming armor over his other clothes. He then strapped a few secondary swords to his person. His Ragnarok had served him well over the years, but there was no reason not to be cautious. He would hate to be caught unarmed if it was somehow knocked out of his hands.

When Cecil was done with his preparations, he took a good look at himself in the mirror. He wasn't vain, but did want to make sure he looked his best. He hated it how some of the contestants just rolled out of bed and ran to their matches. Certainly that behavior wouldn't be becoming of someone of his stature.

He was just about to step out, when something caught his eye. There was a dent in his armor. It wasn't big, but he could notice it. Unfortunately, he had no time to fix it and he had to head out.

"Oh, Rosa," Cecil chuckled, thinking about his wife back home. "You'd never let me go out like this. Please forgive me this once and I promise to repair it afterwards." He then grabbed his quiver, bow, and shield, and left the hotel room.

The knight was just outside of his door, when a voice called out to him. He hadn't gone out of his way to associate with anyone here aside from normal pleasantries, so he was a little surprised that someone would actually be seeking him out.

"Cecil!" the armored marine shouted. "Long time no see!"

"Oh, hello…Master Chief," the paladin responded. It took him a second or two to remember the man's name. "How are you today?"

"Me? I'm just fine. Thanks for asking. But more importantly how are you doing? You're the one fighting today, not me."

"I am perfectly in control of the situation," Cecil assured him. "I have practiced for so many hours in that training center that I'll be ready for anything my opponent throws at me."

"Is that so?" Master Chief asked. Cecil couldn't see it, but underneath his helmet, the soldier was raising an eyebrow. "My suit's AI reviewed the training exercises you set up. She doesn't think you're going about this the right way."

"I have no idea what this 'AI' is, but I know myself better than anyone else. What I did was sufficient."

"If you say so," Master Chief shrugged. "Just remember, for all intents and purposes, Kirby is just a cute little animal. Oh sure, he has sentient thoughts and all, but he doesn't plan ahead like you and me. He just uses his instinct to guide him through the situations."

"Are you saying he's this…robot?" Cecil chuckled. "If anything, I would think you would be the mechanized one, what with that suit and all."

"No, not a robot," the man corrected him. "An animal."

"I fail to see what the real difference is," Cecil huffed. He didn't need to be lectured, much less by someone who had spent as much time avoiding the other contestants as he did.

"Look, all I'm saying is, no matter how complex your simulations were, it wasn't enough," Master Chief explained. "Because when it comes right down to it, Kirby is just an incredibly simple creature. Just watch out, because when you're thinking three steps ahead, he'll have already beaten you with a swift kick to the gut in that moment."

"And to what do I owe this uncharacteristic advice?" wondered Cecil.

"Let's just say that I know what it's like to be upset in these tournaments. The winner isn't always the person who is strongest. And I would hate to have to settle on my round to victory. I'd rather actually earn it with some true competition, so I'd rather you stick around."

Cecil smiled. Maybe the two of them weren't as different as he initially thought. Maybe there was some honor and decency among this rabble.

"May the best man win," Cecil proclaimed. He then extended his hand out toward the other man, in what had to one of his first genuine acts of camaraderie since he had arrived here.

Master Chief just stared at the hand for a few moments. Finally, he brought his own hand up and clasped the paladin's tightly.

"Agreed."

---

Out of all the competitors in the contest, Kirby was probably the easiest to understand. Sure, he was known as a great hero, but in daily life, he was rather boring. He slept when he got tired and ate when he got hungry. That was pretty much it. At least until he found himself on yet another adventure across Dreamland.

Thanks to his child-like behavior, most of the other contestants wondered if the little puff ball even really knew what was going on. Whether or not Kirby actually did know, it didn't matter much to him. What did matter was that when he got hungry there was enough food nearby, since Kirby really did like to eat. A LOT. He was often found taking advantage of the hotel's free buffet, which was offered to all the tournament's competitors. It was all you can eat and Kirby definitely made them regret those words.

The hotel really didn't know what it was getting itself into when it offered the complimentary food. They thought that they had prepared enough for all the contestants to eat their fill, but what they didn't count on was the combined forces of the hungry Kirby, Yoshi, and Pac-Man. Each of them alone was known for their massive appetites, and when combined with the other guests, the hotel ended up having a chronic shortage of food no matter what they did.

Kirby, after having demolished that morning's breakfast, found himself still hungry. He decided to take a walk down the city streets. With the hotel out of food, he'd have to find another place to get his sustenance.

Unfortunately for Kirby's child-like brain, the city was massive and pretty easy for him to get lost in. He suddenly got a whiff of something yummy and proceeded to turn down an alleyway. The little blob headed behind a blue, grimy looking dumpster, where he miraculously found a freshly thrown out pork roast. He also found a not so fresh alley cat, ready to defend what was probably its first real meal in days.

Kirby just looked on in wonder as the cat hissed at him. In response, Kirby gave a confused mumble and smiled at the feline. Kirby didn't really talk, so it came out as a basic "Mumah" sound. The cat looked as if it was preparing itself to strike, obviously not willing to talk it over. Kirby was hungry though, so it looked like he'd have to take drastic measures.

As Kirby left the alleyway, he found himself slightly less hungry, while said alleyway found itself with one less pork roast...and one less cat.

After much searching and waddling around, Kirby finally managed to find a restaurant. It was a fairly decent looking establishment. Not too fancy, but it was the type of place that most people would go and take their families to. As Kirby walked in, he could smell the aroma of all the tasty morsels that were just begging to be eaten inside.

Where Kirby was from there was no need for money, so its use was basically unknown to him. Because of this, he simply walked right past the receptionist, his small stature allowing him to pass unnoticed, and ended up following some customers to the table they would be seated at.

It was a small family, consisting of a father, a mother, a small boy and an even smaller girl. They where seated at a booth table. As the waiter explained the buffet to them and assured the children's separate orders would be out in about five to ten minuets, Kirby walked right under the table undetected. As the waiter headed toward the kitchen, Kirby got a close look at the children's feet, and a nice demonstration of their kicking power. Like most small children who liked to kick their feet as they played, these two were no exception.

"Baumph!" squeaked the pink puff ball.

"Hey, there's something under here!" the small boy exclaimed.

At this response, Kirby jumped up from under the table, joining the two children on their side of the booth.

"Hey! It's Kirby!" the little girl said enthusiastically.

"Oh, wow. It IS Kirby!" the boy agreed, scarcely believing that he was seeing an actual contestant up close and in the flesh.

"This'll be quite a treat," the father said. "To actually dine with one of the contestants is certainly a welcome change!"

After a bit of fawning over the little pudge ball, the parents got up to gather their choice in food. While the children waited for their parents to return and their own food to arrive, they kept themselves busy by playing around with the happy, round Dreamland creature.

Soon enough, the parents returned and the children's food arrived. As the family prepared to dig in, they noticed Kirby was staring at the meal in awe, his eyes going wide. Apparently someone had forgotten to take his order, and now we was left without any food.

"Oh, Kirby dear…did you not get to order anything?" asked the mother.

Her question was met with a bit of a blank stare from Kirby, when he suddenly opened his mouth and sucked in all the food on the table, along with the entire table itself.

"Hey! What was that! We paid for that!" the father shouted in protest, but Kirby simply ignored him and started hopping from table to table, sucking up all the food in his path and leaving angry customers in his wake. After he made his way to the buffet tables and had cleaned them dry, nearly the whole restaurant was ready to have Kirby's neckless head on a stick.

As he twirled his spaghetti, one of his favorite dishes, onto his fork, Mario Mario was startled by the racket that was happening behind him. As he peered over at the back section of the restaurant, the plumber spotted an angry mob surrounding a familiar little puff ball.

"Kirby!" he shouted, running to the thing's side. "What are you-a doing here-a?"

"He ate all our food, that's what!" was an angry man's response.

"Well, I'm-a sure we can-a work this out-a," Mario said, as he tried to calm the crowd down and defend his little friend.

This was all cut short by a sudden rumbling from the puff ball's stomach. He clutched himself as if he had acquired a nasty stomach pain.

"Oh-a, well. I think he might-a be a bit-a sorry. Look at-a him, he feels-a really bad. Right, Kirby?"

Suddenly, Kirby jumped up and spit out a wet, food-covered alley cat, which, between the crowd's panic and its own delirium, ended up mauling just about anything that came between it and its escape from this insanity.

Mario then grabbed Kirby's hand...fin...appendage, stating, "Now's our-a chance!" Without waiting another second, the two then bolted out the door.

Arriving back at the hotel, Mario sat down on a nearby bench to catch his breath. They had ran the entire way back. He was just thankful that he was in slightly better shape than the tourists, or else things could have really gotten ugly.

"Whew. Kirby, you've-a got to be a little more-a careful," the plumber warned the puff ball.

Kirby simply smiled in response, mumbling more gibberish.

"Well, for your-a sake, I-a hope the contest officials take-a care of-a the bill."

Mario looked over at the creature, only to find it fallen asleep. He sighed and picked the cuddly thing up to take it to its match. He contemplated waking Kirby up on the way, but then decided against it.

'No-a,' Mario thought. 'When it-a sleeps, it can't-a eat anymore. Best to-a just let it-a rest for now.' He quietly walked to the contestant's entrance and handed the little puff ball over to a very confused attendant. It was all in their hands now.

---

Cecil looked over the crowd and gave a little laugh. 'Are these the people I'm fighting for? Just another competitor in this macabre gauntlet for their amusement?'

There were arguments breaking out all over the place. He even caught a glimpse of a few more unsavory spectators pickpocketing the belonging from others. When he brought his gaze over to the area where the other contestants usually sat, he was a little shocked to find that it was a good deal emptier than usual.

'Am I not good enough for them?' he sighed. 'They can't even give me the common courtesy of watching my match? I mean, it's not like they had anything better to do that kept them up most of the night.'

Kirby then came out from his entrance and blinked in the harsh sunlight for a little bit. The little puff ball looked like he had just woken up from a nap. He tentatively stepped out on to the carefully manicured grass. When he finally decided that the ground wasn't going to hurt him, he took off and made a beeline for the judges' stands, much to the crowd's delight.

"Look at that little thing go!" shouted one man.

"I wish my husband had moves like that," laughed another woman.

Cecil merely trudged over toward the direction his opponent was headed. When he got there, he looked the three square in the eyes.

'One is naive, one is lazy, and one is as fake as Edge's bravado,' Cecil observed. 'Not a scrap of honor among them. I guess it is my duty to take this situation into my own hands.'

"I have already chosen on a particular terrain," the paladin announced. "I would like a maze similar to the one Mario and Joanna Dark fought in. However, instead of the floor being grass, it will be plain white stone. And the walls should be composed of thick mirrors."

"That's quite a request," Sephiroth cooed. "Hopefully you won't get lost in there yourself."

"I found my way long ago," Cecil responded, "and I don't stray from it. I suggest you do the same."

'Just because our "ways" differ, doesn't mean I don't have one of my own,' the silver-haired champion grinned. 'And I'm tired of all this "holier-than-thou" attitude. I sincerely hope you lose here today.'

The stadium's operator merely did as the warrior told him. He tapped on a few keyboard keys and the stadium transformed itself exactly as Cecil had requested. After it had finished its metamorphosis, he looked over toward his opponent for him to make the next move.

Kirby was seemingly oblivious to what was going on. It was only when he felt everyone staring at him that he realized it was time to do something. Not quite knowing what that something was, though, he merely did a cartwheel and then clapped his hands together over his head.

"I guess that means he wishes to start on this side," Cloud said. He really had no idea what Kirby meant by that, but he wanted this match to start as soon as possible.

"That is fine. Good luck, Kirby. May you fight with honor," Cecil said to his opponent. He then walked off to the other side of the arena.

"Byyyeeeeeee!" Kirby shouted behind him. Cecil wasn't sure if the Dreamland being was trying to annoy him or not, but that was certainly that statement's effect.

"Laugh all you want," Cecil muttered. "The battlefield will prove who the superior warrior is."

Securing his position, he pulled down his helmet's visor. It would help to cut down the mirrors' glare and show him where the true path was. Now all he had to do was wait.

"BEGIN!" shouted the announcer over the loudspeaker. Cecil then marched into the maze, determined to show his opponent that he was not someone to be taken lightly.

----

Kirby entered into the maze, though he basically just moved forward because that was the only option open to him. He didn't know why this structure was here, but one thing he did know was that the area was simply amazing. There was a shimmering white floor and mirrors all around. Those things combined with the sun shining down produced an extremely bright environment. In fact, if he looked at without being careful, it was almost blinding.

Through the bright shine, Kirby made out an image. As he moved closer, covering his eyes to block out the sun, he was surprised at what he saw.

It was another Kirby. Just like him. This wasn't the first time he had seen a creature exactly like him before. In fact, Dreamland was full of them. He was, however, surprised and a bit happy, to see one here.

He smiled and waved to the other Kirby. It returned his greeting with a warm one of its own. Mumbling in delight, Kirby also noticed another similar creature off to his side. And then another a little bit from that one. And then another…And another…

Kirby wondered where his new friend was going, and turned in the direction he last saw him. When he noticed just how many there were, he became a little confused. Why where there so many, and why where they all looking at him? Off in the distance, he could see one that seemed to be looking the other way. He happily dashed toward it in an effort to get its attention, but as he drew near, the other Kirby seemed to run away.

WHAM!

Kirby backed off a bit and looked in front of him. It looked like just another corridor, but he had definitely hit into something. He didn't see anything though, so he decided to make another approach, this time moving more slowly. He smacked into whatever it was again, though not as hard this time.

He reached out and could feel a glassy barrier in front of him. Not knowing how to get around it, he decided to find another way. He turned around, walked forward for a bit and...

WHAM!

Kirby held the front of his face in pain as he looked forward. He reached out, only to feel another glassy surface. He then turned to his right, feeling around to see if there was anything there. It was clear, so he began walking again, only to run into yet another wall a few seconds later.

Frustrated, he decided to go back to the entrance and leave, and turned to run back the way he thought he came, only to run right smack into another wall. At this point, Kirby had become quite flustered, and was quickly moving around, trying to find the right path. This place just wasn't right for a Kirby.

---

Cecil moved slowly, taking great care to silence the sound of his armor as he walked. The glare in the area was quite bad, but his visor kept it out for the most part. Still, he moved with his hands outstretched along the walls, just to be safe.

He stopped as he heard a loud bumping noise. He glanced around a corner and found his opponent running through the maze, bashing into the camouflaged walls as he went. Cecil double-checked to make sure he wasn't gazing at a reflection. After a moment or two he decided it was the real thing and he turned back to face his opponent.

Now would be the perfect time to strike. While his opponent was disoriented, he could make a long range attack, so as not to reveal his location. He didn't like such a dirty tactic, but if this small creature was indeed a true warrior, he would easily be able to overcome it and then face the paladin head on.

Cecil took out his bow and drew back an arrow. It flew silently through the air as it headed straight for the little puff ball. The aim was dead on, but at the last second the creature tripped over itself and the arrow whizzed over its head. It then ricocheted a bit, but not before leaving a large crack in the mirrored wall.

The Kirby creature quickly picked itself up and frantically looked around to see what had just happened. It was only then that it noticed the large crack in the wall. Cecil fired another shot down toward the round thing, but it quickly dived out of the way and rushed back down the corridor, as if it had seen it coming.

'Well, at least it knows I'm here,' Cecil observed. 'Maybe now we can stop this running around and fight like two honest warriors.' To his chagrin, however, it appeared as if Kirby was running even further away.

"Fine. If that's the way you want to fight, then so be it," Cecil sighed, as he drew another arrow. "This isn't the most honorable way to end the fight, but then again, you haven't done anything to make me want to bestow any respect upon you."

The paladin pulled the arrow back as far as it would go. The bowstring was about to snap from the strain. Just when it seemed as if the weapon would break apart in his hands, Cecil released the missile.

Cecil's aim was impeccable, as the arrow flew straight and true. There was absolutely no way Kirby could dodge this one. The warrior smiled as he watched his projectile approach his opponent with such tremendous velocity. Expecting to hear a satisfying "Thunk!" and then a squeal of surrender, Cecil was shocked when his arrow instead produced the sound of shattering glass.

'How could I have missed?' Cecil wondered, his eyes frantically darting back and forth to find his now elusive opponent. It was only when his gaze went toward the heavens on a whim that he spotted Kirby's true location.

'So it was your reflection,' the paladin realized. 'The mirror had been knocked off balance by you before, so it was actually reflecting what was in the sky, not on the ground. Very clever.'

Kirby, on the other hand, wasn't being clever at all. The mirror maze had caused him enough frustration for one day. He had simply grown tired of it and decided to leave by the one method that he was sure to work: flight.

"You can't stay up there forever, though," Cecil said. "Especially when you're being fired upon." The paladin punctuated this statement with an arrow aimed right at the little pink puff ball.

Kirby nimbly dodged to the side, as the arrow grazed him. He now had a frown on his face, as he didn't enjoy being shot at. Cecil paid his opponent no mind, however, as he fired another arrow. This one again missed, but it grazed Kirby a little more than before. In addition to his cheeks filled with air, Kirby now had a deep scowl on his face.

"I wouldn't have never thought it to be true," Cecil laughed, "but it appears others are indeed correct. He IS cute when he gets angry."

The paladin then fired his third airborne missile. This one was aimed much better than the others and Kirby would have no room to maneuver out of the way. He didn't even try to, though. Exhaling his stored air into the sky, the Dreamland creature then shocked the knight as he proceeded to inhale Cecil's projectile.

Cecil braced himself for his arrow to be fired back at him, but what he saw next was shocking. Kirby apparently had swallowed the arrow and it was now having a profound effect upon him. Out of his body grew a set of wings. A bow materialized in his hands and a quiver of arrows found its way on to his back. Not to mention that Kirby was still angry.

He took off into the sky and began circling around Cecil, firing arrows at will. A lot of them did connect with the paladin, but his armor shielded him from any major damage. Still, it was all Cecil could do to bob and weave around, in a desperate attempt to escape Kirby's hail of missiles.

"This is ludicrous!" hissed Cecil. "How am I supposed to fight him now, let alone hit him? He keeps darting around like a maniac!"

Cecil ran and fired a few arrows back at the now Cupid Kirby in retaliation, but they had little effect. 'If I were a Dragoon like Kain then I would have no problem battling him in the air. But Kain's not here. It's just me. There has to be some way…'

Then it dawned on Cecil. Kirby was weaving around with seemingly reckless abandon. But only to the untrained eye. As the paladin looked at his opponent very closely, it slowly dawned on him that Kirby was moving around in a set pattern. A very complex and intricate pattern, but a pattern nonetheless.

Cecil very calmly reached into his quiver and pulled out an arrow. It was his last one, so he had to make this count. He pulled back on his bow and let the arrow fly, not at where Kirby was, but at where he WOULD be.

Kirby was very surprised. One minute he was flying around in his Cupid form and lazily flying at this weird armored man and the next he felt a sharp pain in one of his wings. He looked the damage out of the corner of his eye and saw an arrow through it. Then he began falling. Kirby flapped his wings furiously, but it was in vain. Next thing he knew he was crashing through a colossal mirror on his way to the ground.

Cecil very cautiously advanced on the quivering form. He had dropped his bow and quiver and now brandished his sword and shield. The paladin wasn't that desperate to rush headfirst into his opponent. Kirby still might have a few tricks up his sleeves and it was better to be careful.

Kirby shrugged off the busted bits of glass. A few had cut into him, but he didn't seem to mind. He squinted and saw the armored arm walking toward him, weapon at the ready. This just wouldn't do. This wouldn't do at all. Kirby looked around and, not seeing anything else of use, sucked a few shards of broken glass.

Cecil instinctively raised his shield, fearing that his opponent would fire the glass shards back at him. Instead, Kirby just chewed them in his mouth a few times. After finally coming to the conclusion that tasted just fine, the pink puffball swallowed them whole.

The Dreamland creature lost his wings, bow, and arrows. His body then began to take on a polished gleam. He had changed forms yet again.

"What do you hope to accomplish?" Cecil asked, as he saw Kirby running toward him. The little creature was getting very close now. The paladin simply raised his sword, anticipating when he should strike. When Kirby got close enough, the knight swung his sword, only to have it swing harmlessly in the air.

Cecil looked in wonderment as Kirby was now ricocheting off the mirrored walls. The combination of the glass and arrows had turned him into some kind of reflective projectile. He zipped back and forth, attacking his opponent with every opportunity that presented itself.

'His attacks reminded me of that foolish game downstairs in the lobby,' Cecil concluded. 'What was its name again? Pin-something-or-other? No matter. Despite his form, I bet he can still feel the sting of my Ragnarok.'

Cecil slashed out a few times, but to his dismay, all of his physical attacks just seemed to slide right off Kirby. Meanwhile, the now shiny puffball was slicing into the knight. His form seemed to cut right through the knight's armor and was even making him bleed a little. These were minor wounds that the paladin quickly healed up with his meager white magic, but the fact of the matter was that Kirby was actually hurting him.

'I don't have enough white magic to keep this up,' Cecil reasoned. 'I need to end this stalemate once and for all.' His shield deflected the bouncing ball as best as it could, while his eyes watched the creature's motions. Kirby wasn't moving in a set pattern like before, but he wasn't moving on his own either. He was simply bouncing off the walls and letting his momentum and angles take care of the rest.

'And if he's not in total control of his movements,' Cecil theorized, 'then that means I can just watch what he's doing, wait for a second, and then do…THIS!' The paladin slammed his shield down onto Kirby's hurtling form, sending him into the ground. Predictably, Kirby bounced off that surface as well, sending him into the sky.

Cecil ran over to where Kirby was falling. He reared his sword hand back and then rocketed it forward. With a sickening crack, he connected with his opponent, putting a crack in his exterior and sending him into the stone walls of the arena's base.

Kirby got up, obviously a little dizzy now. He shook his body around a few times, and with his newfound powers popped off him and faded away. Cecil saw his opportunity and charged at the pink blob.

"I have you now!" Cecil called out.

All this fighting was so very tiring on Kirby. He blinked his eyes a few times and then realized that he was once again hungry. And how convenient that a meal now appeared to be running his way…

Cecil had no time to react as was suddenly struck full force by the vacuum emanating from Kirby's impossibly large mouth. He tried to retreat, but all of his armor put him at a serious disadvantage. He planted his sword down into the floor and held on for dear life as Kirby continued to suck in everything around him.

A piece glass inadvertently came hurtling right at Cecil's fingertips. He tried to swat it away, but it was no use. The glass grazed his fingers and brought a searing burst of pain. That was all it took to loosen his grip, and the next thing the paladin knew he was knee deep in Kirby's stomach.

The little creature was finally happy once again. That annoying armored thing was finally gone and he could once again walk around without the fear of bumping into unseen walls. Now to just satisfy his hunger. He chewed around on the contents of his mouth for a few seconds before he realized that he wasn't happy with this thing's taste. Not at all.

Kirby sucked in a little more air and then spit Cecil out in a tremendous burst. The paladin crashed through mirror after mirror after mirror, until he finally came to a halt when he connected with the stadium's stone wall. Kirby waddled over to him. As a testament to his strength, the knight was still breathing.

The little puffball tapped on Cecil's helmet once or twice. This actually brought a groan from inside. The warrior put his hands down on the ground and attempted to push himself not, refusing to lose to this thing.

Kirby merely shrugged his shoulders. He was through playing around with this guy. He reached behind him and pulled out his huge hammer. With one mighty heave, he brought it down upon Cecil's helmet, knocking the knight out for good.

With this the crowd roared in approval. Kirby, not knowing what they were cheering for, but enjoying the sounds just the same, went into an impromptu dance on Cecil's body.

"HHHiiiiiii!" he shouted to everyone, as he waved his arms around and clapped.

"You know," Leon S. Kennedy said, "If it were anyone else doing that, I'd probably consider him or her evil. But when Kirby does it I can't help but think it's cute."

"That's just the thing," Chun Li agreed. "Concepts like 'good' and 'evil' don't apply to Kirby. He's simply who he is. But God help me if I just don't want to run down there right now and give him a big hug myself."

---

"They what!" Sephiroth fumed at the man. He knew the saying was "don't kill the messenger", but right now he was so angry that he was ready to throw that old adage to the wind.

"We've had a break-in to the medical facility last night," the man repeated.

"What was taken?" Sephiroth wanted to cut right to the chase.

"That's the weird thing," the man explained. "Nothing of importance was taken. I think one of the trashcans was missing a rotten banana peel or something, but that's it."

"Are you sure?" Sephiroth asked. He could scarcely believe that someone would violate the privacy of his contest grounds and not take more than simple trash.

"Quite. We've checked over the premises six times already. Aside from the damage we really can't find anything missing."

"Then check it again!" Sephiroth glared. "I want you to be so sure that by the time you're done I want your belief in this matter to rival gravity as a universal truth. Now be gone!"

"Yes, sir," the man said, as he exited the silver-haired swordsman's quarters.

When the messenger left, Sephiroth slammed his hand down on to his desk, rattling a few paperweights around.

"I'll find you," Sephiroth said to the still air. "Oh, no doubt that. And when I do, you'll pay for this intrusion. PAY DEARLY."


End file.
